I  LIBRARY 

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JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE 

A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 


OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 


'Home,  Sweet  Home 


WITH    A    NARRATIVE    OF    THE    REMOVAL    OF    HIS    REMAINS 
FROM    TUNIS    TO    WASHINGTON 


BY 

CHARLES   H.  BRAINARD 

ILLUSTRATED 


WASHINGTON,  D.C. 
GEORGE     A.     COOLIDGE 

CORCORAN    BUILDING 
1885 


Ifi^^N  i»rACK 


Copyright,  1884, 
By  CHARLES  H.  BRAINARD. 


ELECTROTYPED  AND   PRINTED 

BY    RAND,   AVERY,   AND   COMPANY, 

BOSTON,   MASS. 


3$2 


TO 

WILLIAM  WILSON  CORCORAN, 
Srtis  Biograpbtcal  SfeetcJ} 

OF   ONE   WHOxM    HE   LOVED   IN   LIFE,   AND    HONORED 
IN   DEATH, 

E0  ilHost  l^espcctfulls  InscribetJ 

BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


668 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


John  Howard  Payne i 

From  Tunis  to  Washington 71 

The  Last  Funeral  Rites 107 


LLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE. 


I.    John  Howard  Payne Frontispiece. 

II.    Young  Norval 9 

III.  Portrait  by  Joseph  Wood 15 

IV.  Facslmile  of  Manuscript,  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  53 
V.     Facsimile  of  Card  of  Invitation  to  the  Last 

Funeral  Rites 109 

Designed  jby  Mrs.  James  C.  Welling. 
VI.     Monument  erected  by  Mr.  William  W.  Corcoran 

in  Oak  Hill  Cemetery 114 

VII.     Portrait  by  J.  W.  Jarvis 117 

VIII.     View  in  Oak  Hill  Cemetery,  June  9,  1883.     .  126 


JOHN    HOWARD   PAYNE 


JOHN   HOWARD  PAYNE 


jHE  paternal  ancestors  of  John  Howard  Payne 
emigrated  from  England  to  America  about 
the  year  1622,  and  settled  at  the  village  of  East- 
ham,  on  the  western  shore  of  Cape  Cod,  in  the 
State  of  Massachusetts.  His  grandfather  was  a 
prominent  citizen  of  that  place,  and  a  lieutenant 
in  the  service  of  the  British  Colonies :  his  death 
occurred  at  Cape  Breton  in  1746,  the  year  in 
which  his  son  William  Payne,  the  father  of  the 
poet,  was  born. 

At  an  early  age  William  Payne  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Osborn  of  Eastham, 
for  instruction:  after  completing  his  studies  he 
went  to   Boston,  where  he  became  a  tutor  in  a 


2  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

wealthy  family  of  that  city.  While  occupying 
that  position  he  commenced  the  study  of  medi- 
cine under  Gen.  Joseph  Warren,  who  fell  at 
Bunker  Hill.  His  studies  being  interrupted  by 
the  troubles  with  England,  he  afterwards  opened 
an  English  grammar  school  as  a  means  of  sup- 
port. He  was  twice  married ;  his  first  wife 
being  Lucy  Taylor  of  Barnstable,  Mass.,  who 
died  soon  after  her  marriage.  He  afterwards 
made  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies  on  business, 
and  on  his  return  went  to  New  London,  Conn., 
where  he  met  with  Miss  Sarah  Isaacs  of  East 
Hampton,  L.  I.,  a  young  woman  of  great  per- 
sonal attractions  and  varied  accomplishments, 
with  whom  he  is  said  to  have  fallen  in  love  at 
first  sight. 

The  father  of  Miss  Isaacs  was  a  converted  Jew, 
who  came  to  this  country  from  Hamburg  before 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  setded  in  East 
Hampton,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He 
was   buried    in    the    churchyard    of    that    ancient 


BIRTH  AND   EARLY  CHILDHOOD.  3 

village,  where  his  grave  is  marked  by  a  hum- 
ble tombstone  bearing  this  brief  but  expressive 
inscription :  — 

"An  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there  was  no  guile." 

William  Payne  and  Sarah  Isaacs  were  married 
in  1780.  Three  years  afterwards  Mr.  Payne  was 
appointed  principal  of  an  academy  established  in 
East  Hampton  by  DeWitt  Clinton,  governor  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  Of  this  academy,  which 
bore  the  name  of  its  illustrious  founder,  Mr. 
Payne  remained  in  charge  several  years,  when 
he  removed  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  his 
son  John  Howard,  the  sixth  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  was  born,  at  No.  i^  Pearl  Street,  near 
the  corner  of  Broad  Street,  on  the  9th  of  June, 
1 79 1.  A  large  portion  of  the  early  childhood  of 
John  was  passed  at  the  old  homestead  in  East 
Hampton,  where  the  beautiful  scenery  by  which 
it  was  surrounded,  and  the  sports  in  which  he 
engaged   at   this   happy  period   of  his   existence, 


4  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

made  a  deep  and  abiding  impression  on  his 
mind  ;  and  it  will  hereafter  be  seen,  that,  when 
he  wrote  the  beautiful  song  which  is  sung  with 
emotion  throughout  the  English-speaking  world, 
he  must  have  been  thinking  of  the  pleasant  old 
town  on  Long  Island  where  he  played  in  his 
infancy. 

In  1796  William  Payne  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily from  New  York  to  Boston,  to  take  charge  of 
an  academy  located  in  Berry  Street,  now  Chan- 
ning  Street,  where  he  resided  twelve  years. 

The  most  notable  incident  of  John's  life  in 
Boston  was  the  formation  of  a  boys'  military 
company,  of  which  he  was  chosen  commander. 
He  was  at  this  time  only  twelve  years  of  age. 
John  G.  Palfrey,  afterwards  a  noted  clergyman, 
politician,  and  historian,  and  Samuel  Woodworth, 
who  in  after-years  became  distinguished  as  the 
author  of  the  song  of  ''The  Old  Oaken  Bucket," 
are  said  to  have  been  members  of  this  company 
of  juvenile  soldiers,  which  attracted  much  atten- 


DRAMATIC   TENDENCIES,  5 

tion  whenever  it  paraded,  and  on  one  occasion, 
when  it  appeared  on  Boston  Common,  received 
a  standard  from  the  hands  of  a  young  and 
beautiful  girl,  who  afterwards  became  the  wife 
of  a  foreign  ambassador.  Major-Gen.  Elliott, 
who  was  at  the  time  on  parade  with  the  Boston 
militia,  having  heard  of  this  presentation,  imme- 
diately Invited  the  youthful  soldiers  to  join  his 
line,  where  they  were  reviewed  among  the  older 
companies,  with  whom  they  afterwards  marched 
through  the  principal  streets  of  the  city. 

William  Payne  was  a  successful  teacher  of 
elocution,  and  under  his  careful  training  his 
gifted  son  soon  developed  a  decided  taste  for 
the  drama,  and  such  a  precocious  power  in  read- 
ing and  recitation  as  created  in  him  a  strong 
desire  to  become  an  actor.  Master  Betty,  the 
youthful  Rosclus  of  England,  was  at  this  time 
creating  a  sensation  in  the  English  theatres,  and 
the  American  newspapers  were  enthusiastic  in 
their  praise  of  his  wonderful  performances.     The 


6  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

mind  of  Master  Payne  was  deeply  Impressed  by 
what  he  read  concerning  the  young  English 
actor,  and  he  cherished  a  hope  that  he  might 
some  day  become  his  rival. 

At  about  this  time  John  became  assistant 
editor  of  a  weekly  child's  paper,  called  ''  The 
Fly,"  of  which  the  editor-in-chief  was  Samuel 
Woodworth,  who  was  then  learning  the  trade  of 
a  printer  at  an  office  in  Boston. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  John  returned  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  he  was  placed  in  the 
counting-room  of  a  mercantile  house,  of  which  a 
deceased  elder  brother  had  been  partner.  It  was 
not  long  before  he  became  disgusted  with  the 
dry  details  and  drudgery  of  business,  and,  turn- 
ing his  attention  to  literature,  for  which  he  had 
cherished  a  strong  predilection,  secretly  engaged 
in  the  editorship  of  a  little  paper  entitled  *'The 
Thespian  Mirror,"  the  first  number  of  which 
appeared  Dec.  28,  1805.  It  had  a  run  of  thir- 
teen   numbers;    the    last    number,    containing    a 


AT  UNION  COLLEGE.  7 

graceful  valedictory,  being  published  March  22, 
1806.  A  dramatic  criticism  which  appeared  in 
one  of  the  early  numbers  of  this  paper  attracted 
the  attention  of  William  Coleman,  editor  of  the 
New  York  ''  Evening  Post,"  who  republished  it  in 
the  columns  of  that  journal.  When  Mr.  Cole- 
man discovered  that  its  author  was  a  boy  of 
only  thirteen  years  he  took  so  deep  an  interest 
in  his  welfare  that  he  formed  a  plan  to  send 
him  to  college.  He  therefore  introduced  him  to 
Mr.  Seaman,  a  wealthy  gentleman  of  New  York, 
who  was  so  captivated  by  his  beauty  of  person 
and  engaging  manners,  that,  after  consultation 
with  his  father,  he  proposed  to  pay  the  expenses 
of  his  education  at  Union  College,  Schenectady. 
John  accordingly  entered  that  college  in  the 
summer  of  1806.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
he  started  a  weekly  paper  called  "The  Pastime," 
which  was  liberally  patronized  by  his  fellow-stu- 
dents, some  of  whom  were  contributors  to  its 
columns. 


8  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

In  June,  1807,  he  sustained  an  irreparable  loss 
in  the  death  of  his  mother,  of  whom  he  thus 
speaks  in  a  touching  and  beautiful  sketch  of  her 
character,  published  in  "The  Pastime:"  ''The 
stranger  witnessed  her  urbanity;  the  afflicted 
were  solaced  by  her  sympathy;  but  her  family 
alone  knew  the  extent  of  that  meek  and  un- 
assuming goodness,  which,  concealed  from  the 
world,  displayed  itself  amidst  the  cares,  the  joys, 
and  sorrows  of  domestic  life."  "  Few  children," 
writes  her  gifted  and  accomplished  daughter 
Eloise,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Miss  C.  M. 
Sedgwick,  "  have  owed  more  to  a  mother,  and 
never  was  a  parent  more  ardently  beloved.  Her 
affection  knew  no  limitation,  and  was  subject  to 
no  caprice." 

William  Payne  having  become  financially  em- 
barrassed shortly  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  his 
grief  at  her  loss  having  unfitted  him  for  the 
management  of  his  business  affairs,  John  sud- 
denly left  college  with  a  determination  to  open 


John    Howard   Payne, 
as  young  norval. 

From  engraving  of  painting,   by   C.   R.    Leslie,   R,   A. 


A   SUCCESSFUL  DEBUT,  g 

a  career  for  himself,  which  would  enable  him  in 
time  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  his  father,  by 
adopting  the  profession  of  an  actor,  for  which  he 
had  already  exhibited  decided  talents,  and  which 
had  for  him  the  strongest  attractions.  His  father 
having  given  a  reluctant  consent  to  his  pursu- 
ing the  course  he  had  marked  out  for  himself, 
he  returned  to  Boston  early  in  the  year  1808, 
and  there  devoted  a  year  to  careful  study  and 
training  for  the  stage,  being  also  engaged  a  por- 
tion of  the  time  as  assistant  editor  of  a  musical 
and  literary  journal  published  in  that  city. 

On  the  night  of  the  24th  of  February,  1809, 
he  made  his  first  appearance  on  the  public 
stage,  at  the  Park  Theatre  in  New  York,  as 
*'  Young  Norval,"  in  the  tragedy  of  "  Douglas." 

The  debut  was  a  complete  success.  The  ap- 
plause was  unbounded,  the  genius  manifested  by 
the  debutant  being  a  surprise  and  a  delight  to 
all  who  witnessed  his  performance.  Mr.  Seaman, 
under  whose  auspices  he  had  entered  Union  Col- 


10  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

lege,  stood  behind  the  scenes  with  the  father  of 
the  young  actor,  and  both  heartily  congratulated 
him  upon  his  brilliant  success.  He  was  engaged 
at  the  Park  Theatre  for  six  nights  prior  to  his 
departure  for  Boston  to  fill  an  engagement,  but 
gave  a  seventh  performance  in  New  York  for 
his  own  benefit,  on  which  occasion  his  share 
of  the  receipts  amounted  to  fourteen  hundred 
dollars. 

His  first  appearance  in  Boston  was  at  the  Old 
Federal-street  Theatre,  on  the  2d  of  April,  1809, 
in  the  character  of  ''  Young  Norval ; "  and  dur- 
ing his  engagement  he  appeared  as  ''  Romeo," 
''Rolla,"  ''Zaphna,"  "  Selim,"  and  "  Octavian." 
His  success  in  Boston  was  even  greater  than  it 
had  been  in  New  York.  He  was  pleasantly 
remembered  as  the  youthful  captain  and  boy- 
editor,  and  his  reception  was  enthusiastic  in  the 
highest  degree.  While  in  Boston  he  received 
and  accepted  liberal  offers  to  perform  in  Philadel- 
phia, Baltimore,  Washington,  and  other  Southern 


A    CORDIAL   GREETING.  ii 

Cities.  On  his  way  to  the  South  he  remained  a 
short  time  in  New  York,  and  played  a  second 
engagement  at  the  Park  Theatre  with  a  still 
greater  success  than  on  the  occasion  of  his  first 
appearance. 

After  a  delay  of  several  weeks  in  New  York, 
he  proceeded  to  Baltimore,  where  he  was  an 
utter  stranger.  As  he  slowly  wandered  through 
the  streets  of  that  city  in  search  of  the  Holiday- 
street  Theatre,  he  noticed  the  sign  of  Mr.  Ed- 
ward J.  Coale,  a  bookseller,  to  whom  a  letter 
which  he  carried  in  his  pocket  was  addressed. 
On  entering  the  store  he  saw  a  group  of  per- 
sons attentively  listening  to  the  reading  of  a 
letter,  which,  as  it  afterwards  appeared,  related 
to  himself.  When  he  mentioned  his  name  to 
Mr.  Coale,  that  gentleman  grasped  his  hand,  and 
led  him  to  the  group,  exclaiming,  *'  This  is  the 
young  man  himself."  Mr.  Jonathan  Meredith 
and  Mr.  Alexander  Hanson  now  stepped  for- 
ward, and  gave  him  a  cordial  greeting;    telling 


12  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

him  at  the  same  time  that  they  had  just  listened 
to  the  reading  of  a  letter  which  a  literary  gentle- 
man in  New  York  had  written  in  his  behalf,  and 
in  which  he  was  warmly  commended  to  their 
kindness.  Mr.  Meredith  then  escorted  him  to 
his  own  house,  which  he  was  invited  to  make  his 
home  during  his  sojourn  in  Baltimore.  Through 
the  influence  of  his  newly  found  friends,  Mere- 
dith and  Hanson,  an  engagement  for  two  weeks 
was  secured  for  him  at  the  theatre,  and  on  most 
liberal  terms. 

The  announcement  of  his  first  appearance  in 
Baltimore  created  a  degree  of  excitement  and 
enthusiasm  unprecedented  in  the  histoiy  of  the 
drama  in  that  city.  He  played  there  twelve 
consecutive  nights ;  the  theatre  being  filled  to 
overflowing  at  each  performance,  by  an  appre- 
ciative and  enthusiastic  audience.  This  engage- 
ment yielded  him  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 

On  the  day  after  his  benefit,  the  following 
epigram,  entitled  "  The  Retort  Courteous,"  written 


SOUTHERN  TOUR.  13 

by   a   popular   poet    of    Baltimore,    appeared    in 
one  of  the  daily  newspapers  of  that  city :  — 

"All  those  who  from  Payne  had  experienced  delight, 
With  increased  admiration  and  pleasure  each  night, 
To  evince  their  desire  of  delighting  again. 
Attended  last  night,  and  gave  pleasure  to  Payne /^^ 

At  the  close  of  his  engagement  in  Baltimore 
he  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  attracted 
crowded  houses,  his  success  being  in  all  respects 
a  repetition  of  what  he  had  experienced  in  other 
cities  where  he  had  previously  performed.  He 
afterwards  appeared  in  Richmond,  Va.,  and, 
subsequently,  in  Charleston  and  other  cities  of 
South  Carolina.  Wherever  he  appeared  during 
this  tour,  he  was  received  with  much  enthu- 
siasm, and  his  remarkable  performances  elicited 
great  applause. 

In  the  summer  of  1809  he  appeared  in  Wash- 
ington, and  played  several  nights  at  the  only 
theatre  then  existing  in  that  embryotic  city, 
and    which    was    afterwards    known    as    Carusi's 


14  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

Saloon,  and  is  now  called  the  Theatre  Comique. 
Some  of  the  oldest  residents  of  Washington  re- 
tain pleasant  memories  of  his  impersonations  of 
'*  Young  Norval,"  and  other  characters,  in  which 
his  acting  was  so  true  to  nature  that  his  de- 
lighted auditors  sometimes  lost  sight  of  the  actor 
while  looking  upon  the  ideal  creations  which  his 
wonderful  genius  had  for  the  time  made  a  living 
reality.  Mr.  William  W.  Corcoran,  then  a  boy  of 
eleven  years,  attended  his  performances  nightly, 
and  to  this  day  cherishes  vivid  recollections  of 
the  youthful  actor  and  of  the  various  characters 
which  he  assumed  during  his  brief  engagement 
in  Washington. 

At  this  period  of  his  life,  young  Payne  was  as 
handsome  in  person  as  he  was  gifted  in  intel- 
lect. One  of  his  most  intimate  friends  in  writ- 
ing of  him  says,  ''  Nature  bestowed  upon  him  a 
countenance  of  no  common  order,  and  his  eyes 
glowed  with  animation  and  intelligence.  A  more 
extraordinary  mixture  of  softness  and  intelligence 


John    Howard    Payne, 
at    the    age    of    nineteen. 


From  the  original    miniature,   painted   by  Joseph   Wood,    now   m   the 
possession  of  Mrs.    Eloise   E.    Luquer. 


WOOD'S  PORTRAIT.  1 5 

was  never  associated  In  a  human  countenance, 
and  his  face  was  an  index  of  his  heart.  He  was 
a  perfect  Cupid  in  his  beauty,  and  his  sweet 
voice,  and  self-possessed  yet  modest  manners, 
made  him  a  most  engaging  prodigy." 

During  his  visit  to  Washington,  an  excellent 
portrait  of  him,  in  miniature,  was  painted  by 
Wood,  one  of  the  most  noted  water-color  paint- 
ers of  his  time.  This  portrait  was  afterwards 
engraved  for  a  theatrical  magazine  entitled  ''The 
Mirror  of  Taste  and  Dramatic  Censor,"  and  ap- 
peared in  the  issue  of  that  periodical  for  Janu- 
ary, 1 8 1 1 .  Payne  was  in  his  nineteenth  year 
when  he  sat  for  this  portrait,  the  engraving  from 
which  represents  a  youth  whose  beauty  of  face 
and  figure  fully  justifies  the  flattering  description 
quoted  above. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  18 10  he  returned 
to  Baltimore,  where  he  played  four  nights  with 
great  success.  During  the  two  following  seasons 
he  appeared  in  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 


1 6  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

Richmond,  and  Charleston,  in  all  of  which  cities 
he  was  warmly  greeted  by  large  audiences. 

During  a  private  visit  to  Baltimore  in  the 
month  of  June,  1812,  the  printing-office  of  his 
early  friend  and  patron  Alexander  Hanson,  who 
edited  and  published  ''  The  Federal  Republican," 
was  destroyed  by  a  political  mob.  Although 
Payne  had  taken  no  part  in  political  controver- 
sies, a  sentiment  of  gratitude  prompted  him  to 
offer  his  assistance  to  Mr.  Hanson  irf  re-estab- 
lishing his  paper.  His  generous  offer  was 
promptly  accepted,  and  his  name  afterwards 
included  among  those  to  whom  Mr.  Hanson 
publicly  returned  his  thanks  for  their  devotion 
to  his  interests  at  this  trying  period. 

Mr.  Hanson,  Mr.  Meredith,  and  several  other 
friends  and  admirers  of  Payne,  now  advised  him 
to  visit  Europe,  where  he  would  have  a  wider 
field  for  the  exercise  of  his  dramatic  and  literary 
talents,  and  better  opportunities  for  their  im- 
provement  by  study  and    travel,  than    he    could 


A    VISIT  TO   EUROPE.  ly 

hope  to  find  in  his  own  country;  and  they  also 
made  him  offers  of  such  pecuniary  assistance  as 
he  might  need  for  this  purpose. 

Under  the  auspices  of  his  generous  patrons, 
Payne  accordingly  sailed  from  New  York  for 
Liverpool  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  January, 
1813,  in  the  brig  "Catherine  Ray,"  and,  after 
a  most  boisterous  passage  of  twenty-three  days, 
reached  Liverpool.  England  was  at  this  time 
engaged  in  a  war  with  the  United  States ;  and 
consequently  he  and  his  fellow-passengers  were, 
to  their  surprise  and  indignation,  arrested  as 
prisoners  of  war,  and  marched  from  the  ship  to 
a  place  of  confinement,  in  which  they  remained 
two  weeks,  when  they  were  released  and  allowed 
to  proceed  to  London. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  in  London,  Payne 
was  introduced  to  William  Roscoe,  who  greeted 
him  most  cordially,  and  subsequently  presented 
him  to  John  Philip  Kemble,  Coleridge,  Campbell, 
Southey,  Rogers,  Shelley,  and  many  other  noted 


1 8  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

authors.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  he 
obtained  an  engagement  to  appear  on  the  stage 
of  a  London  theatre ;  but  he  finally  succeeded, 
and  on  the  14th  of  June,  18 13,  made  his  appear- 
ance at  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  in  the  character 
of  ''  Young  Norval ; "  the  part  of  ''  Lady  Ran- 
dolph "  being  sustained  by  Mrs.  Powell,  a  highly 
gifted  and  popular  actress.  The  performance 
from  beginning  to  end  excited  tumultuous  ap- 
plause, and  the  house  rang  with  thunders  of 
approbation  at  the  power  exhibited  by  Payne  in 
the  death-scene  in  the  last  act  of  the  play.  Many 
Americans  were  present  on  this  occasion,  among 
whom  were  the  artists  Benjamin  West  and  Charles 
R.  Leslie,  who  sat  together  in  a  stage  box. 

Payne  performed  at  Drury  Lane  every  night 
for  a  month ;  his  last  appearance  being  in  the 
character  of  "  Romeo,"  in  which  his  success  was 
complete.  He  next  appeared  at  Liverpool,  where 
he  was,  if  possible,  more  successful  than  he  had 
been    in    London.      He   afterwards   played    with 


AT  DUBLIN  AND    WATERFORD.  1 9 

equal  success  in  Birmingham  and  Manchester, 
and  also  in  several  smaller  towns,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Dublin,  where  he  was  most  kindly 
received,  both  publicly  and  privately.  Here  he 
became  acquainted  with  Daniel  O'Connell,  Charles 
Phillips,  and  other  gifted  Irishmen,  who  after- 
wards became  famous  in  the  history  of  their  un- 
happy country.  His  first  appearance  in  Dublin 
was  in  the  character  of  ''  Rolla."  Throughout  his 
engagement  the  leading  female  characters  were 
played  by  the  afterwards  celebrated  Miss  O'Neil, 
who  was  as  remarkable  for  her  beauty  as  for 
her  dramatic  genius. 

After  his  engagement  in  Dublin,  Payne  played 
with  marked  success  at  Waterford,  where  Miss 
O'Neil  appeared  with  him ;  and  this  was  her  first 
appearance  as  a  star.  When  they  appeared  to- 
gether as  "Romeo"  and  "Juliet,"  their  youth 
and  beauty  so  admirably  suited  the  characters 
that  they  excited  the  wildest  applause  of  the 
densely  packed  audience. 


^  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

They  afterwards  played  at  Cork,  where,  on  the 
night  of  his  benefit,  Payne  delivered  an  address 
written  for  the  occasion  by  Charles  Phillips. 

At  the  close  of  this  engagement,  he  accom- 
panied O'Connell,  Phillips,  and  other  noted  Irish- 
men,  to  Killarney,  and  shared  in  the  honors 
everywhere  bestowed  upon  the  party.  After 
witnessing  a  stag-hunt  on  the  lake,  they  were 
entertained  at  a  dinner  on  Innisfallen  Island ;  on 
which  occasion  Phillips,  in  response  to  a  toast 
complimentary  to  himself  and  Payne,  made  the 
celebrated  speech  on  Washington  and  America, 
which  has  since  been  so  popular  an  exercise  in 
declamation,  in  the  schools  and  colleges  of  this 
country. 

Payne  now  returned  to  London,  where  he 
remained  a  few  weeks,  and  then  crossed  the 
Channel  and  hastened  to  Paris,  where  he  arrived 
at  a  most  interesting  time,  as  Bonaparte  had  just 
returned  thither  from  Elba,  and  the  gay  metrop- 
olis was  alive  with  excitement  and   enthusiasm. 


PAYNE  AND    TALMA,  21 

Among  the  many  noted  men  with  whom  he 
became  acquainted  at  this  time  were  Lord  By- 
ron, Thomas  Moore,  and  Talma,  the  tragedian, 
who  was  then  playing  to  crowded  houses  at 
the  principal  theatre  in  Paris,  where,  night  after 
night,  Payne  witnessed  his  matchless  renditions 
of  the  leading  characters  in  the  tragedies  of 
Shakspeare.  The  intimate  friendship  between 
Payne  and  Talma,  which  began  at  this  time,  con- 
tinued unbroken  until  the  death  of  the  latter. 

During  this  visit  to  Paris,  Payne  witnessed  the 
performance  of  a  melodrama  entitled  '*The  Maid 
and  Magpie,"  which  was  creating  a  great  excite- 
ment among  the  patrons  of  the  drama.  So 
pleased  was  he  with  the  piece,  that  he  made  a 
free  translation  of  it,  as  an  exercise  in  French, 
having  no  ulterior  object  in  view.  He  took  this 
translation  with  him  on  his  return  to  London, 
where  he  sold  it  to  the  manager  of  Drury  Lane 
Theatre  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  the 
reputation  of  the  piece  having  preceded  his  arri- 


22  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

val  in  England.  This  was  the  commencement 
of  his  successful  career  as  a  writer  and  trans- 
lator of  plays  for  the  English  stage. 

During  the  year  1817  he  played  brief  engage- 
ments in  London,  Liverpool,  Birmingham,  and 
other  English  cities,  where  he  was  well  received, 
but  not  with  the  enthusiasm  which  he  excited  on 
his  first  appearance  in  England,  when  he  was  but 
little  more  than  a  boy.  Other  juvenile  dramatic 
prodigies,  including  Master  Betty,  lost  much  of 
their  attractiveness  when  they  became  men ;  and 
such  was  the  case  with  Payne,  who  had  now 
become  corpulent,  and  outgrown  all  tragic  sym- 
metry. He  therefore  gradually  abandoned  the 
stage  for  dramatic  authorship,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  wrote  the  tragedy  of  ''  Brutus ;  or.  The  * 
Fall  of  Tarquin,"  which  was  produced  for  the  first 
time  at  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  Dec.  3,  18 18, 
the  part  of  ''Brutus"  being  played  by  Edmund 
Kean.  This  tragedy  was  a  great  success,  and 
for  more  than  seventy-five  nights  was  performed 


THE   TRAGEDY  OF  ''  BRUTUS r  23 

to  crowded  houses.  So  great  was  Its  popularity, 
that  it  was  printed  and  pubHshed  within  ten 
days  after  Its  first  performance.  A  printer  In 
the  theatre  purchased  the  copyright,  and  caused 
It  to  be  put  into  type  In  the  printing-office  of  the 
theatre,  In  a  cellar  under  the  stage,  the  manu- 
script being  taken  from  the  prompter  during  the 
performance  as  fast  as  it  was  used.  When  the 
author  descended  to  the  office  to  read  the  proofs, 
he  was  amused  and  astonished  to  see  the  whole 
Roman  senate,  with  their  togas  thrown  over 
their  shoulders,  busily  engaged  by  torchlight  in 
setting  types. 

The  tragedy  of  ''Brutus"  was  not  altogether 
original  with  Payne.  From  seven  plays  on  the 
same  subject,  only  two  of  which  had  been  thought 
capable  of  representation,  he  had  unhesitatingly 
adopted  the  language  and  conceptions  of  their 
authors  whenever  they  seemed  to  strengthen  the 
plan  which  he  had  prescribed  ;  and  this  fact  he 
frankly  stated  In  a  brief  preface. 


24  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

Having  become  dissatisfied  with  the  ilHberal- 
ity  of  most  of  the  theatrical  managers,  who  con- 
trived to  secure  the  largest  share  of  the  profits 
arising  from  the  production  of  his  various  dramas, 
Payne  now  resolved  to  turn  manager,  and  pro- 
duce his  own  pieces  on  his  own  stage.  He 
accordingly  leased  the  Sadler's  Wells  Theatre, 
where  he  brought  out  many  new  plays,  which 
were  well  received ;  but  at  the  close  of  the  season 
he  found  himself  deeply  In  debt,  having  lost 
over  seven  thousand  dollars  by  his  enterprise. 
As  he  could  offer  his  creditors  no  security  for 
the  payment  of  so  large  a  sum  of  money,  he 
was  arrested,  and  lodged  in  a  debtors'  prison, 
from  which  there  seemed  no  prospect  of  his 
speedy  release ;  but,  through  the  clouds  that 
then  hung  so  thickly  over  him,  the  sunlight  of 
hope  shone  sooner  than  he  expected.  One 
morning  a  parcel  was  brought  to  him  without  a 
letter  or  a  word  of  explanation.  This  parcel 
contained   two    plays    in    French,    by   M.    Victor, 


"  THERESEr  25 

one  of  them  being  "Therese,"  the  latest  work  of 
this  gifted  author.  On  reading  this  play,  Payne 
resolved  to  translate  it,  and  fit  it  for  the  English 
stage.  He  went  to  work  at  once,  and  in  two 
days  the  translation  and  adaptation  were  fin- 
ished. Three  days  later  it  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  manager  of  Drury  Lane  Theatre, 
by  whom  it  was  afterwards  accepted,  and  imme- 
diately produced  under  the  title  of  "  Therese ; 
or.  The  Orphan  of  Geneva."  It  was  performed 
for  the  first  time  on  the  evening  of  Feb.  2, 
1821. 

By  obtaining  a  pass  from  the  court,  Payne 
was  permitted  to  leave  his  prison-house  long 
enough  to  supervise  a  rehearsal  of  the  piece,  of 
which  he  also  witnessed  the  first  representation. 

"Therese"  was  in  all  respects  a  brilliant  suc- 
cess. It  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm,  and 
for  many  consecutive  nights  played  to  crowded 
houses.  So  large  was  Payne's  share  of  the  profits 
of  the    piece,   that   he  was   enabled   to   effect   a 


26  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

compromise  with  his  creditors,  and  regain  his 
liberty.  In  less  than  a  month  after  the  first 
production  of  "Therese,"  he  returned  to  France, 
having  been  commissioned  by  the  manager  of 
the  Drury  Lane  Theatre  to  make  translations  of 
the  most  popular  plays  produced  at  the  Parisian 
theatres,  and  adapt  them  to  the  English  stage. 
He  had  not  been  long  in  Paris  when  he  met 
Washington  Irving,  whom  he  had  known  from 
his  boyhood.  Irving  was  at  this  time  thirty- 
eight  years  old,  and  Payne  eight  years  younger. 
Payne  was  then  occupying  the  first  floor  of  a 
small  house  which  stood  in  a  garden  in  a  pleas- 
ant part  of  the  city.  In  his  private  journal 
Irving  speaks  of  breakfasting  there  with  him  in 
the  month  of  April,  1821,  and  adds,  ''Payne  is 
full  of  dramatic  projects,  and  some  that  are  feasi- 
ble." After  breakfast  Payne  and  Irving  took  a 
stroll  along  the  boulevards,  and  afterwards  called 
on  Talma,  the  great  tragedian,  whom  Irving  had 
never  before  seen. 


"  CLARI,    THE  MAID   OF  MILAN:'  2/ 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1823,  Charles 
Kemble,  who  had  assumed  the  management  of 
the  Covent  Garden  Theatre  in  London,  wrote 
to  Payne  for  some  new  pieces  to  be  produced  at 
that  theatre.  Payne  accordingly  sold  him  three 
manuscript  plays,  which  he  had  written  several 
months  before,  for  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds.  One  of  these  plays  was  ''  Clari,  the 
Maid  of  Milan,"  into  which  he  had  introduced 
the  song  of  *'  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  which  was 
written  in  Paris,  on  a  dull  October  day,  when 
he  was  occupying  a  small  lodging-room  in  the 
upper  story  of  a  building  near  the  Palais  Royal. 
To  use  his  own  words,  as  addressed  to  a  friend, 
the  depressing  influences  of  the  sky  and  air 
were  in  harmony  with  the  feeling  of  solitude 
and  sadness  which  oppressed  his  soul.  As  he 
sat  in  his  room,  diverting  his  thoughts  with  the 
sight  of  the  happy  crowds  promenading  the 
streets  below  him,  the  words  came  rushing  into 
his  mind,  to  lift,  console,  and  refresh  his  over- 


28  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

burdened  heart.  It  was  under  these  Influences 
that  he  wrote  the  song  which  has  touched  re- 
sponsive chords  in  the  heart  of  the  world,  and 
immortalized  the  name  of  its  author. 

The  following  are  the  words  of  the  song  as 
originally  written :  — 

'Mid  pleasures  and  palaces  though  we  may  roam, 
Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there's  no  place  like  home  ! 
A  charm  from  the  skies  seems  to  hallow  us  there 

(Like  the  love  of  a  mother. 

Surpassing  all  other). 
Which,  seek  through  the  world,  is  ne'er  met  with  elsewhere. 

There's  a  spell  in  the  shade 

Where  our  infancy  played. 
Even  stronger  than  time,  and  more  deep  than  despair ! 

An  exile  from  home,  splendor  dazzles  in  vain  !  ^ 
Oh,  give  me  my  lonely  thatched  cottage  again  ! 
The  birds  and  the  lambkins  that  came  at  my  call, — 

Those  who  named  me  with  pride  — 

Those  who  played  by  my  side  — 
Give  me  them,  with  the  innocence  dearer  than  all ! 


''HOME,  SWEET  HOMEr  29 

The  joys  of  the  palaces  through  which  I  roam 
Only    swell    my  heart's    anguish  —  There's    no    place    hke 
home  ! 

Payne  afterwards  re-wrote  the  song,  the  music 
for  which  was  composed  by  Henry  R.  Bishop. 

The  following  is  a  correct  version  of  ''  Home, 
Sweet  Home,"  as  arranged  for  the  opera,  having 
been  copied  from  the  authors  own  manuscript:  — 

'Mid  pleasures  and  palaces  though  we  may  roam, 
Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there's  no  place  like  Home  ! 
A  charm  from  the  sky  seems  to  hallow  us  there, 
Which,  seek  through  the  world,  is  ne'er  met  with  elsewhere  ! 
Home,  home,  sweet,  sweet  Home, 

There's  no  place  hke  Home  ! 
There's  no  place  like  Home  ! 

An  exile  from  Home,  splendor  dazzles  in  vain  ! 
Oh,  give  me  my  lowly  thatch'd  cottage  again  !  — 
—  The  birds  singing  gaily  that  came  at  my  call  — 
Give  me  them  !  —  and  the  peace  of  mind  dearer  than  all ! 
Home,  home,  sweet,  sweet  Home  ! 

There's  no  place  like  Home  ! 

There's  no  place  like  Home  !  '* 


30  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

"  Clarl "  was  produced  at  the  Covent  Garden 
Theatre  about  the  middle  of  May,  1823,  and 
met  with  a  degree  of  success  which  was  quite  as 
surprising  to  the  manager  as  it  was  flattering  to 
the  author.  The  part  of  "•  Clari"  was  enacted  by 
Miss  Maria  Tree  (a  sister  of  Ellen  Tree,  after- 
wards Mrs.  Charles  Kean),  by  whom  the  song 
was  sung  for  the  first  time.  To  the  beautiful 
face  and  figure  of  Miss  Tree  was  superadded 
the  charm  of  a  most  melodious  voice,  which  ren- 
dered her  on  this  occasion  so  fascinating  that 
she  won  the  heart  and  hand  of  a  wealthy  mer- 
chant of  London.  The  piece  had  what  is  called 
in  theatrical  parlance  ''  a  great  run,"  and  for 
many  consecutive  nights  filled  the  theatre  to 
overflowing.  The  words  and  music  of  the  song 
were  so  popular,  that  more  than  one  hundred 
thousand  copies  were  sold  by  the  publishers 
within  one  year  after  Its  publication ;  but  Payne 
was  not  permitted  to  share  In  the  great  success 
which  followed  the  enterprise  of  the  manager  and 


A    PLEASANT  FICTION.  3 1 

publisher,  as  he  was  cheated  out  of  the  twenty- 
five  pounds  which  he  was  promised  on  the  twen- 
tieth night  of  the  performance  of  his  successful 
play,  and  his  name  did  not  appear  on  the  title- 
page  of  the  song,  from  the  sales  of  which  the 
publisher  realized  a  small  fortune. 

The  air  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  was  taken 
from  an  old  Sicilian  vesper,  and  adapted  to  the 
song,  by  Bishop.  The  popular  story  that  Payne 
caught  it  by  marking  down  the  notes  he  heard 
a  Swiss  peasant-girl  sing,  is  simply  a  pleasant 
fiction,  having  not  the  slightest  foundation  in 
fact ;  as  his  varied  gifts  and  acquirements  did 
not  include  a  knowledge  of  music,  of  which 
science  he  was  profoundly  ignorant.  He  had 
not  the  slightest  musical  taste,  and  could  not 
tell  one  note  from  another. 

When  Payne  sent  the  manuscript  of  *'  Clari " 
to  London,  he  drew  on  the  manager  of  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  through  Bishop,  for  ninety 
pounds,  the  balance  then  due  him ;  having  only 


32  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

the  day  before  received  the  sum  of  thirty  pounds, 
for  which  he  requested  Bishop  to  express  his 
thanks  to  Mr.  Kemble.  These  facts  show  how 
utterly  wanting  in  truth  is  the  oft-repeated  state- 
ment, that  when  he  wrote  the  opera  he  was  in 
straitened  circumstances.  He  was  at  that  time 
occupying  luxurious  lodgings  in  a  fashionable 
quarter  of  Paris,  and  profitably  employed  in 
translating  French  plays  and  adapting  them  to 
the  English  stage.  ^ 

An  autograph  copy  of  the  letter  which  he 
sent  to  Bishop  with  the  manuscript  of  ''Clari" 
now  lies  before  the  present  writer.  Therein  he 
gives  full  directions  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
the  opera  should  be  placed  upon  the  stage, 
including  suggestions  to  Miss  Tree,  who  was  to 
enact  the  part  of  ''  Clari."  This  letter  closes 
with  the  following  graceful  sentence,  character- 
istic of  the  writer,  whose  refined  and  gentle- ^ 
manly  instincts  were  expressed  in  every  act  of 
his  life :  — 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS.  33 

'*I  hope  you  make  memoranda  of  the  expenses  you 
have  been  at  in  postage,  etc.,  on  account  of  what  I 
have  sent  to  the  theatre  through  you.  If  the  treas- 
ury has  not  paid  it,  I  shall  think  you  do  me  great 
injustice  if  you  deny  me  the  opportunity  of  prevent- 
ing my  correspondence  from  becoming  a  tax  upon 
any  thing  but  your  patience." 

Payne  does  not  appear  to  have  been  much 
elated  by  the  great  success  of  *'Clari;"  as  in  a 
letter  to  one  of  his  sisters,  dated  Paris,  May  28, 
1823,  he  thus  modestly  alludes  to  It :  — 

*'I  have  within  the  last  fortnight  been  favored 
with  another  theatrical  success  in  an  opera  entitled 
*Clari,  the  Maid  of  Milan,'  of  which  I  have  desired 
Miller,  who  has  bought  the  copyright,  to  send  six 
copies  to  Thatcher,  one  for  each  of  my  own  family, 
and  the  others  for  wheresoever  you  may  think  they 
will  be  most  valued." 

The  following  extract  from  the  same  letter 
gives  a  glimpse  of  his  life  In  Paris  at  this 
time :  — 


34  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

"  I  have  several  works  on  the  stocks ;  and  to  com- 
plete them  undisturbed,  I  have  taken  a  country-house 
at  Versailles,  for  which,  and  its  large  garden,  I  pay 
fifty  dollars  till  January  next.  You  have  no  house- 
rent  in  New  York  so  cheap. 

"For  purposes  of  business  I  retain  my  place  here, 
which  is  so  very  cheap  that  I  can  do  it  without  vio- 
lating your  injunctions  of  economy." 

Payne  was  busily  at  work  when  Irving  re- 
turned to  Paris  In  August,  1823,  and  found  him 
at  his  lodgings  In  ''a  sky-parlor"  at  the  Palais 
Royale.  Irvlng's  pen  had  been  Idle  for  several 
months ;  and  as  he  was  consequently  somewhat 
dispirited,  and  haunted  by  a  dread  of  future 
failure,  Payne  suggested  to  him  a  partnership  in 
the  work  on  which  he  was  himself  then  engaged, 
at  the  same  time  offering  him  an  equal  share 
of  the  profits  accruing  therefrom.  To  this  liberal 
proposal  Irving  assented,  with  the  proviso  that 
his  name  should  not  be  used  In  connection  with 
the  plays  thus  jolndy  produced. 


PAYNE  AND  IRVING.  35 

Indng  left  Paris  soon  after  making  this  agree- 
ment with  Payne,  but  returned  thither  early  in 
October,  During  his  absence  Payne  had  hired 
a  suite  of  rooms  at  No.  89  Rue  Richelieu,  which 
he  furnished  very  handsomely  with  the  furniture 
which  he  transferred  to  them  from  his  cottage 
at  Versailles.  Three  of  these  rooms  he  rented 
to  Irving,  reserving  one  small  apartment  for 
himself. 

The  first  work  in  which  Irving  now  engaged 
was  the  alteration  of  "  La  Jeunesse  de  Richelieu," 
a  play  which  had  been  performed  in  Paris  nearly 
thirty  years  before,  and  which  Payne  had  already 
partially  translated.  The  two  literaiy  partners 
then  translated  several  other  pieces,  with  which 
Payne  privately  set  off  for  London,  and  there 
offered  them  to  Charles  Kemble.  While  nego- 
tiations for  their  sale  were  pending,  Irving  trans- 
mitted to  Payne  the  manuscript  of  **  Charles  II., 
or  the  Merry  Monarch,"  a  piece  in  three  acts, 
altered   from   '*  La   Jeunesse   de    Henri   V.,"   the 


36  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

larger  portion  of  which  Irving  had  himself  trans- 
lated and  adapted.  In  his  letter  acknowledging 
the  receipt  of  this  play,  Payne  thus  writes : 
*' I  consider  it  one  of  the  best  pieces  I  ever 
read."  This  piece  and  **  Richelieu "  were  finally 
sold  to  the  rnanager  of  Covent  Garden  for  two 
hundred  guineas  down ;  which  Payne  considered 
a  good  sum,  and  thought  it  might  be  doubled 
by  the  copyrights. 

**  Charles  II."  was  produced  May  27,  1824,  and 
met  with  extraordinary  success.  Irving  arrived 
in  London  early  on  the  evening  of  the  next 
day,  in  time  to  see  the  second  representation  of 
the  piece.  Three  days  afterwards  he  assisted 
Payne  in  pruning  it,  and  compressing  it  into  two 
acts,  after  which  Payne  disposed  of  the  copy- 
right for  fifty  guineas.  It  was  irhmediately  put 
to  press  by  Payne,  who  simply  intimated  in  a 
-brief  preface  that  the  manuscript  had  been  re- 
vised ''by  a  literary  friend,  to  whom  he  was 
indebted  for  invaluable  touches ; "  Irving's  stipu- 


RETURN  TO  AMERICA.  .  37 

lation  for  the  concealment  of  his  name  not  per-; 
mitting  him  to  make  any  other  allusion  to  his 
silent  partner.       l.     y.  !  .  c  iL..  /c  v    :■    :v  ;; 

"Richelieu"  was  not"  produced  until  Febrtiary, 
1826  ;  when  it  was  played  for  a  few  nights,  and 
then  withdrawn,  exceptions  having  been  taken 
to  the  plot.  At  the  close  of  the  year  it  was 
published  in  New  York,  with  a  dedication  to 
Irving.  7  .'-•.::..  yo.';:.^:..i  ■:c^..■i.:■•  C:-^  "\-:>  c-:-^':>  -,.'1 
L  At  about  this  time  Fayhe  established  in  Lon- 
don a  critical  paper,  entitled  "  The  Opera  Glass," 
which  reached  but  a  few  numbers ;  a  sudden  ill- 
ness, during  which  his  life  was  despaired  of,- 
having  brought  the  publication  thereof  to  an 
abrupt  termination.      ;      J;  '■''... :^ :.r: j.:^  ■'  'i.j      ;        i 

In  the  summer  of  1832  he  left  England,  and 
returned  to  New  York,  which  he  reached  at  the 
time  the  cholera  was  raging  in  that  city.  For 
several  hours  after  he  landed  he  wandered  about 
the  desolate  streets,  fearing  that  all  his  family  had 
perished ;    but,    knocking   with   trembling   hands 


38  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

at  the  door  of  his  brother's  residence,  he  was 
rejoiced  to  find  that  all  he  loved  were  living. 
He  was  warmly  received  by  his  friends  and  the 
public;  and,  in  the  month  of  November  follow- 
ing, a  complimentary  benefit  was  tendered  him 
at  the  Park  Theatre,  where  he  had  made  his 
first  appearance  as  an  actor  twenty-three  years 
before.  The  house  was  filled  from  pit  to  gallery 
by  one  of  the  most  refined  and  intellectual 
audiences  ever  assembled  within  its  walls.  The 
price  of  tickets  was  raised  to  five  dollars  for 
the  boxes,  and  one  dollar  for  the  gallery ;  and 
the  receipts  at  the  box-ofifice  were  seven  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  opening  play  was  Payne's 
tragedy  of  *'  Brutus,"  the  leading  part  in  which 
was  sustained  by  Edwin  Forrest.  The  perform- 
ance of  the  tragedy  was  followed  by  the  singing  of 
'*  Home,  Sweet  Home  ;  "  after  which  Shakspeare's 
comedy  of  '*  Katherine  and  Petruchio  "  was  pre- 
sented, the  two  principal  characters  being  imper- 
sonated  by  Charles    Kemble    and    his    beautiful 


COMPLIMENTARY  BENEFIT.  39 

and  gifted  daughter  Fanny.  Payne's  comedy  of 
''  Charles  II."  closed  what  was  doubtless  the  most 
brilliant  and  successful  dramatic  entertainment 
that  had  ever  been  given  in  New  York. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1833,  a  complimentary 
benefit  was  given  to  Payne,  at  the  Tremont 
Theatre  in  Boston,  which,  from  a  variety  of 
causes,  —  one  of  which  was  a  lack  of  judicious 
management,  —  was  unsuccessful.  The  tickets 
were  placed  at  a  price  that  limited  the  attend- 
ance to  the  personal  friends  of  the  beneficiary, 
not  more  than  three  hundred  of  whom  were 
present  at  the  rising  of  the  curtain. 

The  pieces  played  on  this  occasion  consisted 
chiefly  of  selections  from  Payne's  dramas ;  and 
the  performance  closed  with  the  playing  of 
"  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  by  the  orchestra,  after 
which  the  beneficiary  was  loudly  called  for. 
When  he  appeared  on  the  stage,  he  was  at  first 
greatly  agitated,  but  soon  recovered  his  self- 
possession,  and  made  an  eloquent  address,  which 


40  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE: 

was  warmly  applauded.  Though  few  In  numbers, 
the  audience  was  one  of  exceptional  brilliancy, 
and  included  many  representatives  of  the  wealth 
and  culture  of  the  city. 

On  his  return  to  New  York,  Payne  took  up 
his  abode  with  his  brother,  Thatcher  Taylor 
Payne,  between  whom  and  himself  an  ardent 
attachment  had  always  existed.  This  brother, 
younger  by  five  years  than  himself,  was  an  emi- 
nent lawyer,  and  a  profound  scholar,  whose  fine 
mind  and  rare  acquirements,  no  less  than  his 
genial  and  courtly  manners,  made  him  a  fit  com- 
panion for  his  gifted  brother. 

Payne  now  issued  the  prospectus  of  a  literary 
journal,  but,  owing  to  its  high  price,  failed  to 
obtain  a  list  of  subscribers  large  enough  to 
justify  the  issuing  of  the  initial  number. 

At  about  this  time  he  contemplated  the  pub- 
lication of  a  *'  Life  of  Our  Saviour,"  which  he 
had  written  in  the  manner  of  a  harmony  of  the 
Four  Gospels ;  but,  the  market  having  been  pre- 


IN   THE   CHEROKEE   COUNTRY.  41 

occupied  by  a  similar  work  from  the  pen  of  an 
eminent  clergyman,  the  project  was  abandoned. 

In  1835  he  made  a  tour  through  the  Southern 
States,  and  visited  the  city  of  New  Orleans, 
where  he  was  warmly  received  by  many  of  its 
citizens,  and  tendered  a  complimentary  benefit  at 
the  Camp-street  Theatre,  which  event  took  place 
on  the  evening  of  March  18,  1835.  The  net 
proceeds  of  this  benefit  were  over  a  thousand 
dollars.  The  plays  performed  on  the  occasion 
were  *'Therese"  and  *' Charles  II."  With  this 
benefit  terminated  Payne's  connection  with  the 
drama. 

On  his  way  back  to  New  York,  he  visited  the 
Cherokee  country,  and  passed  several  weeks  with 
John  Ross,  the  chief  of  the  nation.  At  this  time 
the  United  States  Government  was  endeavoring 
to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  the  Cherokees,  pro- 
viding for  their  removal  to  lands  beyond  the 
Mississippi  River,  —  a  movement  that  was  warmly 
opposed  by  Ross  and  his   chiefs.     As   Ross  had 


42  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

reasons  for  considering  his  person  and  property 
in  danger  while  these  negotiations  were  pending, 
—  a  military  guard  having  been  placed  along  the 
border-line  of  Georgia,  to  preserve  peace  between 
the  white  inhabitants  and  the  Cherokees,  —  he 
had  removed  his  family  into  Tennessee.  Payne's 
intimacy  with  Ross  excited  a  suspicion  that  he 
was  aiding  him  in  postponing  a  ratification  of 
the  treaty ;  and  this  suspicion  induced  twenty- 
five  members  of  the  Georgia  Guard  to  surround 
the  hut  of  Ross  on  a  dark  night,  and,  without 
orders  or  legal  authority,  to  arrest  both  him  and 
Payne,  whom  they  forced  to  ride  to  their  head- 
quarters, more  than  twenty  miles  distant.  During 
the  ride,  one  of  the  guard  struck  up  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home  ;  "  when  Payne,  thinking  to  soften 
the  hearts  of  his  captors,  asked  them  if  they 
knew  he  was  the  author  of  the  song.  "  It's  no 
such  thing,"  replied  the  singer :  ''  it's  in  '  The 
Western  Songster.' "  Payne  used  to  relate  this 
anecdote  with  evident  enjoyment. 


WRITES  FOR  MAGAZINES.  43 

Payne  passed  a  portion  of  the  year  1838  in 
the  city  of  Washington,  during  which  time  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  writing  for  various 
newspapers  and  magazines. 

Among  the  products  of  his  facile  and  active 
pen  at  this  period,  was  an  article  for  "  The  Dem- 
ocratic Review,"  entitled  ''  Our  Neglected  Poets  ;  " 
the  subject  being  William  Martin  Johnson,  the 
story  of  whose  eventful  life  and  early  death  was 
gracefully  narrated.  This  article  contains  many 
passages  of  genuine  humor,  occasional  touches 
of  pathos,  and  an  elaborate  and  graphic  descrip- 
tion of  the  quaint  old  village  of  East  Hampton, 
where  the  writer  passed  many  of  the  happiest 
hours  of  his  early  childhood,  and  which  seems 
to  have  been  photographed  upon  his  brain,  and 
thus  lovingly  borne  with  him  in  all  his  wander- 
ings in  both  hemispheres. 

In  1 84 1  the  death  of  President  Harrison  caused 
a  change  in  the  administration  of  the  govern- 
ment   at   Washington.       He    was    succeeded    by 


44  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

Vice-President  John  Tyler,  with  whom  Payne 
afterwards  became  intimately  acquainted,  and  also 
with  the  principal  members  of  his  cabinet.  By 
the  advice  of  many  of  his  friends,  he  applied  to 
President  Tyler  for  a  foreign  consulship.  His 
application,  having  been  seconded  by  William  L. 
Marcy  and  Daniel  Webster,  —  both  of  whom  were 
warm  friends  of  the  applicant,  —  was  favorably 
considered  by  the  President,  who,  on  the  23d  of 
August,  1842,  appointed  him  consul  at  Tunis. 
Ten  years  had  then  elapsed  since  he  landed  in 
New  York,  after  a  residence  of  nineteen  years  in 
Europe,  during  which  time  he  had  performed  a 
large  amount  of  literary  labor,  and  had  travelled 
much  in  the  northern  and  southern  portions  of 
the  United  States. 

He  was  now  in  the  maturity  and  full  vigor  of 
his  physical  and  mental  powers,  and  remarkable 
for  his  rare  colloquial  talents,  which  made  him  a 
brilliant  ornament  to  the  social  circle  in  which 
he  moved.     His  conversation  was  enriched  by  a 


A   FAVORITE  RESORT.  45 

fund  of  anecdotes,  which  he  related  with  great 
zest ;  a  ready  flow  of  wit  and  humor,  which 
sparkled  but  never  wounded  ;  and  delightful  remi- 
niscences of  the  most  noted  men  and  women  of 
his  time  whom  he  had  met  in  Europe  and 
America.  A  gifted  and  accomplished  lady  who 
resided  in  Washington  at  this  time,  and  at  whose 
mother's  house  Payne  was  a  frequent  visitor, 
recently  informed  the  present  writer  that  he  was 
one  of  the  most  genial  and  cheerful  companions 
she  ever  met,  and  that  he  was  accustomed  to 
recount  with  fine  effect  many  amusing  stories 
relating  to  his  travels  and  adventures  at  home 
and  abroad. 

One  of  his  favorite  resorts  at  this  time  was 
Parrott's  Woods,  in  Georgetown,  D.C.,  now  the 
beautiful  cemetery  of  Oak  Hill.  This  charming 
sylvan  retreat  he  frequently  visited  in  company 
with  several  lady  friends,  and  on  such  occasions 
gave  enthusiastic  expression  to  his  admiration 
of  the  beauty  of  the  spot,   and  the  picturesque 


46  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

scenery  which  surrounded  it;  httle  dreaming,  that, 
after  his  mortal  remains  had  rested  in  the  soil 
of  a  foreign  land  for  more  than  thirty  years,  they 
would  be  brought  thither  by  the  agency  of  one 
who  knew  and  admired  him  as  an  actor  in  his 
early  manhood  ;  who  was  the  friend  of  his  later 
years ;  and  whose  loyalty  to  his  memory  would 
be  manifested  by  causing  them  to  be  consigned 
to  their  last  resting-place  beneath  the  very  trees 
in  whose  shadows  he  once  loved  to  wander. 

He  sailed  for  Europe,  en  route  for  Tunis,  in 
the  month  of  February,  1843,  t>ut  did  not  reach 
that  city  until  the  middle  of  the  following  May ; 
having  tarried  at  London,  Havre,  Paris,  and  Mar- 
seilles, where  he  met  many  of  his  friends  of 
former  years,  who  gave  him  a  warm  reception. 

In  less  than  three  years  after  reaching  Tunis, 
he  was  recalled  by  President  Polk,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded President  Tyler  ;  his  position  being  wanted 
for  a  political  favorite  who  formerly  held  the  office, 
and  whose  re-appointment  was  strongly  and  per- 


CONSUL  AT  TUNIS.  47 

sistently  urged  by  Thomas  H.  Benton,  a  senator 
from  Missouri. 

This  sudden  removal  from  office  was  a  great 
disappointment  to  Payne,  as  he  had  but  just 
succeeded  in  bringing  order  out  of  chaos,  and 
getting  the  consulate  into  proper  condition.  He 
had  induced  the  Bey  of  Tunis  to  repair  and 
improve  the  consular  residence ;  and,  for  more 
than  a  year,  had  been  engaged  in  writing  a  his- 
tory of  that  city,  which  work  must  now  be  aban- 
doned, as  materials  for  its  successful  prosecution 
could  not  be  found  elsewhere.  But,  with  a  true 
philosophic  spirit,  he  quietly  submitted  to  what 
was  inevitable.  He  did  not,  however,  immedi- 
ately return  home,  but,  true  to  his  old  nomadic 
instincts,  spent  more  than  a  year  in  travelling 
in  Italy,  France,  and  England,  passing  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  the  time  in  Paris  and  London, 
and  did  not  reach  New  York  until  the  month  of 
July,   1847. 

After   a   protracted    sojourn  in  New  York,  he 


48  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

proceeded  to  Washington  In  the  fall  of  1849, 
with  a  view  of  making  an  effort  to  obtain  a  re- 
appointment to  the  office  from  which  he  had 
been  so  unjustly  removed.  He  was  cordially 
welcomed  by  his  old  friends,  some  of  whom 
made  personal  appeals  to  President  Taylor  In  his 
behalf ;  but  so  strong  were  the  Influences  arrayed 
against  him  by  the  personal  and  political  friends 
of  his  successor  In  office,  that,  after  several  un- 
availing attempts  to  give  effect  to  his  wishes,  it 
was  deemed  advisable  to  postpone  further  action 
in  the  matter  until  after  the  next  presidential 
election,  when,  it  was  confidently  believed,  a 
change  in  the  administration  would  take  place, 
and  that  renewed  efforts  to  obtain  his  restoration 
to  office  would  then  be  successful. 

The  authors  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Payne 
began  in  Washington,  in  the  month  of  March, 
1850,  at  which  time  he  had  nearly  abandoned 
all  hope  of  obtaining  a  re-appointment  to  the 
consulship  of  Tunis. 


RE-INSTATEMENT  IN  OFFICE.  49 

On  the  9th  of  July  of  the  same  year,  President 
Taylor  died,  after  a  brief  illness ;  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  office  by  Vice-President  Fillmore,  to 
whom  the  friends  of  Payne  now  made  earnest 
and  repeated  requests  for  his  restoration  to  his 
old  official  position.  For  several  months  their 
efforts  in  his  behalf  were  unsuccessful,  owing 
chiefly  to  the  persistent  opposition  of  Senator 
Benton,  whose  motive  for  the  course  he  pursued 
was  evidently  a  desire  to  retain  in  office  the 
successor  of  Payne. 

At  a  time  when  serious  doubts  began  to  be 
entertained  concerning  the  ultimate  success  of 
the  united  efforts  of  Payne  and  his  friends  to 
re-instate  him  in  office,  a  noble-hearted  young 
woman  of  Washington,  who  had  become  deeply 
interested  in  his  welfare,  made  a  personal  appeal 
to  the  President,  and  advocated  his  cause  with 
so  much  eloquence  and  zeal  that  she  was  assured 
his  nomination  to  the  office  which  he  had  so 
long    sought    should   be    sent    to    the   Senate   on 


50  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

the  following  day.  The  nomination  was  made 
as  the  President  had  promised,  and  was  Inimedl- 
ately  and  almost  unanimously  confirmed. 

During  his  last  sojourn  In  Washington,  which 
covered  a  period  of  more  than  a  year,  Payne 
received  much  attention  and  kindness  from  his 
old  friends,  and  from  many  others,  whose  knowl- 
edge of  his  early  history  and  eventful  life  made 
him  an  object  of  more  than  ordinary  interest. 
He  lodged  in  a  small  but  comfortable  and  well- 
furnished  room  in  Fourteenth  Street,  opposite 
Willard's  Hotel,  and  but  a  few  rods  from  Penn- 
sylvania Avenue.  I  passed  many  pleasant  hours 
with  him  in  this  room,  where-  I  was  entertained 
not  only  by  his  delightful  conversation,  but  fre- 
quently by  an  examination  of  his  rare  treasures 
of.  literature  and  art,  the  chief  of  which  were  a 
volume  of  letters  addressed  to  him  by  the  noted 
men  and  women  whose  acquaintance  he  had 
formed  many  years  before ;  and  a  large  album 
containing   original   sketches   by  Allston,   Leslie, 


A   LITERARY  ALBUM.  51 

Haydon,  West,  and  other  famous  painters  of  their 
times,  together  with  many  autograph  letters  of 
Washington  Irving,  Thomas  Moore,  Charles 
Lamb,  Talma,  John  Philip  Kemble,  Edmund  Kean, 
George  Croly,  Walter  Scott,  Lord  Byron,  Percy 
Bysshe  and  Mary  Shelley,  Curran,  Daniel  O'Con- 
nell,  and  many  others  scarcely  less  distinguished. 
Judging  from  the  tenor  of  these  letters,  Payne 
was  held  in  high  esteem  by  their  distinguished 
writers. 

He  sought  but  little  society  at  this  time,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  seemed  to  shrink  from  observa- 
tion, and  confined  his  visits  to  a  few  chosen 
friends.  He  was  much  in  the  society  of  Mr. 
William  W.  Corcoran,  who  saw  and  admired  him 
as  an  actor  many  years  before,  and  whose  name 
is  now  so  honorably  and  pleasantly  associated  with 
his  own  ;  and  he  was  in  the  habit  of  passing  a 
portion  of  several  evenings  in  each  week  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Riggs,  the  business  partner  of  Mr. 
Corcoran,  where  he  was  always  a  welcome  guest. 


52  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

Mr.  Corcoran  often  met  him  on  these  occasions, 
and  now  relates  with  manifest  pleasure  many 
interesting  incidents  of  his  life  at  this  period. 

At  about  this  time  Emma  Southworth  of  Wash- 
ington created  a  marked  sensation  in  literary 
circles  by  her  story  of  '*  Retribution,"  which  Payne 
read  with  much  interest,  and  on  which  he  be- 
stowed very  high  praise  in  a  letter  to  its  author, 
to  whom,  by  his  request,  I  shortly  afterwards 
introduced  him.  She  then  resided  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  city  known  as  ''The  Island,"  a  few 
rods  south  of  the  site  of  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion. We  passed  many  pleasant  hours  together 
at  the  residence  of  the  young  novelist,  where  we 
often  met  prominent  literary  men  and  women  of 
Washington,  and  other  sections  of  the  country, 
who  had  read  and  admired  her  first  novel.  Mrs. 
Southworth  was  a  brilliant  conversationalist,  and 
thus  drew  around  her  a  delightful  literary  and 
social  circle,  of  which  Payne  was  for  a  time  a 
prominent  member. 


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A   SAD   CONTRAST.  53 

Payne  was  one  of  the  most  modest  and  un- 
pretending literary  men  I  ever  knew.  He  rarely 
alluded  to  his  writings,  but  would  sometimes 
speak  of  his  early  career  as  an  author  and  actor, 
when  he  basked  in  the  smiles  of  fame  and  for- 
tune, and  was  the  petted  favorite  of  an  extensive 
literary  and  dramatic  circle.  As  he  contrasted 
his  condition  at  that  happy  period  of  his  life  with 
that  to  which  he  had  been  reduced  by  advancing 
years  and  adverse  fortune,  his  face  wore  an  ex- 
pression of  sadness,  and  his  voice  faltered  with 
emotion. 

He  received  his  commission  as  consul  to  Tunis 
In  the  month  of  February,  1851,  but  did  not 
leave  Washington  until  after  the  adjournment  of 
Congress  In  the  month  following.  A  short  time 
before  his  departure  for  New  York,  I  persuaded 
him  to  sit  for  a  daguerreotype  portrait.  A  few 
months  before,  he  had  copied  for  me  the  song 
of  *'  Home,  Sweet  Home." 

His   chlrography  was  remarkable  for  Its  fine- 


54  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

ness,  gracefulness,  and  legibility;  each  letter  being 
perfectly  formed,  and  a  page  of  his  manuscript 
containing  nearly  as  many  words  as  would  be  In- 
cluded In  a  printed  page  of  equal  size.  Although 
his  correspondence  was,  In  earlier  life,  very  exten- 
sive, he  was  In  the  habit  of  copying  his  letters 
by  hand,  and  placing  the  copies  with  the  letters 
of  his  correspondents  written  in  reply. 

One  of  the  most  pleasant  incidents  of  Payne's 
life  in  Washington  at  this  period  was  a  flattering 
compliment  which  he  received  from  Jenny  Lind, 
at  a  concert  given  by  her  on  the  night  of  Dec. 
17,  1850,  in  a  hall  hastily  constructed  for  the 
occasion  on  the  ruins  of  the  National  Theatre, 
and  which  was  filled  on  this  eventful  night  by 
probably  the  most  distinguished  audience  ever 
seen  In  a  concert-room  in  the  United  States. 
Prominent  among  the  notable  men  present,  and 
occupying  front  seats,  were  President  Fillmore, 
Daniel  Webster,  Henry  Clay,  Gen.  Scott,  and 
Mr.  Payne. 


A   FLATTERING   COMPLIMENT.  55 

The  closing  song  on  the  programme  was  the 
"  Greeting  to  America,"  written  expressly  for  the 
great  vocalist  by  Bayard  Taylor,  which  she  sang 
with  thrilling  effect.  The  applause  which  fol- 
lowed was  most  enthusiastic ;  and  when  it  had 
somewhat  subsided,  Mr.  Webster,  who  was  evi- 
dently in  one  of  his  genial  after-dinner  moods, 
emphasized  it  by  rising,  and  making  a  profound 
bow  to  the  singer,  who  then  turned  towards 
Payne,  and  sang  ''  Home,  Sweet  Home."  The 
vast  audience  was  electrified,  and  gave  full  ex- 
pression to  its  enthusiasm  at  the  end  of  the 
first  line ;  and  when  the  song  was  ended,  the 
demonstrations  of  applause  were  of  the  wildest 
character,  and  were  prolonged  for  several  min- 
utes. Meantime  all  eyes  were  turned  towards 
Payne,  who  seemed  deeply  embarrassed  at  thus 
finding  himself  the  centre  of  so  many  admiring 
glances. 

Mr.  Payne  and  the  author  left  Washington 
for  New  York  at  about  the  same  time.     In  the 


56  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

course  of  a  few  days  after  my  arrival  in  the 
last-named  city,  he  called  on  me  at  a  picture- 
gallery  of  which  I  had  assumed  the  charge,  and 
which  was  located  in  Broadway,  on  the  south- 
west corner  of  Leonard  Street.  He  informed 
me  that  he  was  busily  engaged  in  preparations 
for  his  departure  for  Tunis,  and  was  making 
purchases  of  books,  pictures,  and  other  articles 
to  take  with  him.  When  he  called  on  me  a  few 
days  later,  I  noticed  that  his  face  wore  an  anxious 
look ;  but  before  I  had  an  opportunity  to  inquire 
concerning  the  cause  thereof,  he  stated  that  he 
was  then  occupying  a  room,  in  University  Build- 
ing, barely  large  enough  to  contain  a  bed,  two 
chairs,  wash-stand,  and  table,  and  that  he  was, 
therefore,  in  need  of  a  more  spacious  room  in 
which  to  pack  the  large  trunks  which  were  to 
contain  his  personal  effects.  Fortunately  there 
was  in  the  rear  of  the  gallery  in  my  charge  a 
large  and  unoccupied  room,  in  which  I  told  him 
he  could  place  them,  and  at  the  same  time  in- 


LAST  DAYS  IN  AMERICA.  57 

vlted  him  to  make  the  gallery  his  headquarters 
for  business  during  his  stay  in  New  York.  His 
face  at  once  assumed  a  cheerful  expression,  and 
thanking  me  for  the  invitation  he  went  away; 
but,  in  a  few  hours  afterwards,  returned  with 
several  large  trunks,  which  were  carefully  be- 
stowed in  the  room  I  had  assigned  to  his  use. 

From  this  time  until  the  day  of  his  final 
departure  from  New  York,  he  was  with  me  sev- 
eral hours  each  day,  and  frequently  remained 
with  me  until  late  at  night.  He  was  busily 
employed  most  of  the  time  during  the  day  in 
arranging  his  business  affairs,  and  in  making 
purchases,  which  consisted  principally  of  books 
and  pictures.  Among  his  pictorial  purchases 
were  several  large  colored  lithographic  views  of 
American  cities,  which  were  intended  for  pres- 
entation to  the  Bey  of  Tunis.  From  the  great 
quantity  of  books,  pictures,  and  other  articles 
with  which  he  filled  his  trunks,  it  was  evident 
that  he  looked  forward  to  many  years  of  pleasant 


58  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

life  in  Tunis.  He  was  in  excellent  spirits  at  this 
time,  and,  seemingly,  very  happy  in  the  pros- 
pect of  returning  to  his  old  home  in  a  foreign 
land. 

When  wearied  with  packing  his  trunks,  in 
which  labor  I  frequently  gave  him  my  assistance, 
he  would  entertain  me  by  his  brilliant  conversa- 
tion, which  was  interspersed  with  reminiscences 
of  his  life  abroad  and  with  anecdotes  relating  to 
himself,  to  all  of  which  I  listened  with  absorbing 
interest. 

Among  the  personal  anecdotes  which  he  re- 
lated at  this  time,  were  the  following.  Soon  after 
his  return  to  this  country,  after  an  absence  of 
nineteen  years,  he  was  riding  in  a  stage-coach 
incognito,  when  one  of  his  fellow-passengers  in- 
quired of  a  companion,  ''  What  has  become  of 
J.  H.  Payne?"  —  "Oh,"  said  the  person  addressed, 
"  he  is  entirely  broken  down :  he  came  out  very 
brilliant,  but  soon  collapsed."  Payne  laughed 
very  heartily  as  he  related  this  incident. 


PERSONAL  ANECDOTES.  59 

When  he  visited  Boston,  some  years  after  his 
return  from  his  first  residence  in  Europe,  he 
missed  the  attention  which  had  marked  his  visits 
to  that  city  in  former  years.  Conversing,  one 
day,  with  a  lady  whom  he  had  known  many 
years  before,  he  remarked  that  times  had  changed 
since  his  last  visit,  for  now  he  received  many 
invitations  to  church,  but  very  few  to  dinner. 
*'Will  you  dine  with  me  to-day,  Mr.  Payne?" 
asked  the  lady.  *'  No,  I  thank  you,"  said  Payne. 
**  I'm  engaged  to  dine  with  an  old  friend  to-day." 

He  once  heard  of  a  parrot,  belonging  to  a 
hotel-keeper  In  New  York,  that  had  been  taught 
to  sing  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  and  walked  some 
distance  to  see  It.  Approaching  the  parrot's 
cage,  he  requested  him  to  sing  the  song;  when 
Polly  promptly  replied,  to  the  great  amusement 
of  Payne,  ''  I  can't,  I've  got  a  bad  cold." 

One  evening  as  we  sat  together,  after  he  had 
become  exhausted  by  the  labors  of  the  day,  and 
had  sunk  Into  a  large  armchair,  he  related,  with 


6o  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

deep  feeling,  the  story  of  his  attachment  to  a 
beautiful  and  accomplished  lady  of  Boston,  by 
whom  his  affection  was  reciprocated,  and  who 
would  have  become  his  wife  but  for  parental 
objections.  This  lady  belonged  to  one  of  the 
oldest  and  wealthiest  families  of  Boston. 

In  person  Payne  was  under  the  medium  height, 
and  slightly  built.  His  symmetrical  and  finely- 
developed  head  was  bald  on  the  top,  but  the 
sides  were  covered  with  light-brown  hair.  His 
nose  was  large,  and  disproportionate  to  the  rest 
of  his  face,  which  was  lighted  by  a  pair  of  deli- 
cate blue  eyes  that  shone  from  beneath  a  lofty 
brow.  He  wore  a  full  beard,  consisting  of  side- 
whiskers  and  a  moustache,  which  were  always  well 
trimmed.  He  was  scrupulously  neat  in  his  dress, 
and  usually  wore  a  dark-brown  frock-coat  and 
a  black  vest,  while  his  neck  was  covered  with  a 
black  satin  scarf,  which  was  also  arranged  in 
graceful  folds  across  his  breast.  Despite  his 
quiet    and    unpretending   manner,   and    his   plain 


DEPARTURE  FOR   TUNIS,  6l 

attire,  there  was  that  nameless  something  about 
his  appearance  which  never  failed  to  attract  atten- 
tion, and  to  impress  even  the  most  casual  ob- 
server with  a  feeling  that  he  looked  upon  a  man 
of  no  ordinary  character.  His  voice  was  low  and 
musical ;  and  when  conversing  on  any  subject  in 
which  he  was  deeply  interested,  he  spoke  with  a 
degree  of  earnestness  that  enchained  the  atten- 
tion and  touched  the  hearts  of  his  listeners. 

On  the  sixth  day  of  May,  1851,  I  saw  Mr.  Payne 
for  the  last  time.  He  had  taken  passage  for 
Havre  in  the  steamer  ''  Humboldt,"  which  sailed 
on  that  day  at  noon.  As  I  was  unable  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the  ship,  he  called  at  my  rooms,  on 
his  way  thither,  to  bid  me  good-by.  The  day 
being  quite  cool,  he  wore  a  brown  overcoat  closely 
buttoned ;  and  carried  beneath  his  right  arm  a 
large  umbrella  which  had  evidently  seen  much 
service.  He  was  in  excellent  spirits,  though  as 
he  grasped  my  hand  at  parting  he  exhibited  no 
little   emotion  ;    and  his  voice  was  husky  as  he 


62  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

pronounced  these  last  words,  ''  Good-by,  and  God 
bless  you !  "  I  watched  him  as  he  moved  down 
Broadway  with  rapid  step  and  form  erect,  and 
thus  passed  forever  from  my  sight. 

On  his  arrival  at  Tunis,  he  found  the  consular 
residence  in  a  dilapidated  condition  ;  but,  through 
the  liberality  of  the  Bey,  to  whom  he  made  re- 
peated requests  for  money  to  make  the  repairs 
it  so  much  needed,  it  was  put  in  perfect  order, 
and  made  the  finest  consulate  in  the  city.  On 
the  roof  a  tall  flag-staff  was  erected ;  and,  when 
a  large  national  standard,  purchased  by  Payne, 
was  first  unfurled  to  the  breeze,  in  the  presence 
of  a  great  multitude,  a  brass-band  stationed  on 
a  platform  attached  to  the  staff,  and  twenty- five 
feet  above  the  roof,  made  the  welkin  ring  with 
their  shrill  and  somewhat  discordant  music.  A 
bountiful  collation  was  spread  out  in  the  spacious 
rooms  of  the  second  story,  and  for  several  hours 
the  consulate  was  the  scene  of  feasting  and 
gayety. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH.  63 

In  addition  to  the  great  outlay  made  by  the 
Bey,  in  repairing  and  embelHshing  the  consular 
residence,  Payne  expended  thereupon  consider- 
able money  which  he  borrowed  for  the  purpose, 
and  thus  became  involved  in  debt.  His  health 
giving  way  at  about  the  same  time,  and  his 
plans  for  literary  labor  being  thus  broken  up,  he 
became  disheartened,  and,  finally,  unable  from 
increasing  weakness  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
his  office,  or  leave  his  room.  During  his  last 
sickness,  which  was  long  and  painful,  he  received 
every  needed  attention  and  kindness  from  his 
friends  in  Tunis  and  from  his  faithful  Moorish 
servant.  Mr.  Thomas  F.  Reade  the  British  con- 
sul, and  four  Sisters  of  Charity,  Rosalie,  Josephine, 
Marie  Xavier,  and  Celeste,  were  especially  de- 
voted to  him.  Mrs.  Heap,  a  most  excellent  and 
lovely  woman,  was  accustomed  to  visit  him,  and 
to  read  to  him  from  his  favorite  books  when- 
ever he  was  able  to  listen.  The  Sisters  said  of 
him,  that  he  was  very  gentle,  and  thoughtful  of 


64  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

their  comfort  to  the  last,  and  that  it  was  a  pleas- 
ure to  care  for  him. 

On  the  ninth  day  of  April,  1852,  in  less  than 
one  year  after  he  sailed  from  New  York,  his 
gentle  and  weary  spirit  went  to  its  eternal  rest. 

His  remains  were  interred,  with  simple  but 
impressive  religious  ceremonies,  in  the  Protes- 
tant cemetery  of  St.  George,  at  Tunis.  The 
United  States  Government,  a  few  months  after- 
wards, caused  his  grave  to  be  marked  by  a  thick 
white-marble  slab,  on  which  was  carved  the 
national  seal,  followed  by  a  brief  and  appropriate 
epitaph,  while  on  each  of  its  edges  was  inscribed 
a  line  of  poetry,  the  four  lines  reading  thus  :  — 

"Sure,  when  thy  gentle  spirit  fled 

To  reahns  beyond  the  azure  dome, 
With  arms  outstretched  God's  angels  said, 
'  Welcome  to  Heaven's  Home,  Sweet  Home  ! ' " 

It  has,  for  many  years,  been  customary  to 
speak   of  Payne   as   a   homeless   wanderer,   who 


HOME  AND  KINDRED.  65 

knew  nothing  of  the  joys  of  home  and  the  love 
of  kindred ;  yet  the  popular  opinion  relative  to 
this  matter  has  no  foundation  in  truth.  He  was 
no  more  homeless  than  any  other  bachelor  who 
lives  in  lodgings,  or  any  foreign  ambassador 
whose  official  duties  compel  him  to  reside  in  a 
house  provided  by  the  nation  for  his  use.  He 
was  ardently  loved  by  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  always  welcome  to  share  their  home ;  but 
he  preferred  to  live  alone  or  where  he  could 
pursue  his  literary  avocations  in  the  solitude  of 
his  own  apartments.  He  was  often  urged  by  his 
relatives  to  join  their  home,  and,  in  fact,  did  live 
with  his  brother,  Thatcher  Payne,  for  many  years 
after  his  return  from  his  nineteen-years'  residence 
abroad. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  addressed 
to  him  by  this  devoted  brother,  under  date  of 
March  31,  1829,  will  show  that  he  was  always 
sure  of  a  hearty  welcome  to  a  happy  home  when- 
ever he  chose  to  return  to  his  native  land :  — 


66  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

*'I  must  confess,  from  past  experience,  that  I  dare 
not  trust  myself  to  believe  that  your  plan  of  coming 
out  here  will  be  realized.  I  desire  it,  however,  more 
than  any  other  earthly  thing ;  and  only  wish  that  my 
situation  in  life  enabled  me  to  make  a  voyage  to  Eng- 
land, and  put  you  on  board  myself,  and  so  secure  you. 
As  for  a  residence  here,  although  my  circumstances 
are  far  from  brilliant,  I  shall  always  be  able  to  treat 
you  with  a  brother's  hospitality.  Come  and  share 
my  lodgings  and  table  with  me,  and  we  shall  have 
enough  to  talk  of  for  a  year  at  least,  —  you  in  telling 
me  all  the  details  of  your  adventurous  experience 
abroad,  and  I  in  explaining  all  the  various  changes  at 
home." 

To  many  who  make  literature  their  profession, 
and  who  live  much  of  the  time  in  an  ideal  world 
of  their  own  creation,  there  come  periods  of  dis- 
couragement and  privation ;  and  such,  undoubt- 
edly, was  sometimes  the  fate  of  Mr.  Payne ;  but 
he  generally  lived  well,  and  in  a  way  that  was 
satisfactory  to  himself     During  the  first  years  of 


INCOME  AND  ASSOCIATES.  6y 

his  residence  abroad  he  realized  large  sums  of 
money  from  his  dramatic  performances ;  and,  when 
he  abandoned  the  stage  as  an  actor,  he  found 
his  pen  a  source,  of  liberal  income.  At  this 
period  of  his  life,  he  lived  not  only  comfortably 
but  often  luxuriously,  and  numbered  among  his 
intimate  friends  and  associates  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  authors,  actors,  and  artists  of  the 
time. 

Many  of  the  stories  current  concerning  the 
straits  in  which  he  sometimes  found  himself 
in  consequence  of  his  impecuniosity  are  purely 
fictitious,  having  been  invented  by  that  class  of 
sensational  writers  who  rely  upon  their  imagina- 
tion for  incidents  which  they  relate  as  absolute 
facts.  Of  course  it  is  poetical  to  write  of  the 
author  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  as  a  "  homeless 
wanderer ; "  which  he  never  was,  except  of  his 
own  free  will,  and  by  his  own  act. 

His  natural  instincts  were  nomadic,  and  he 
was    never  so    happy  as  when    travelling    in    his 


6S  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

native  land  or  In  Europe.  This  taste  for  travel 
began  with  his  early  career  as  an  actor,  and  the 
habit  then  formed  clung  to  him  through  life. 

He  knew  but  little  concerning  the  value  of 
money,  save  as  a  means  of  supplying  his  imme- 
diate wants  and  of  gratifying  his  refined  literary 
and  aesthetic  tastes.  Instead  of  saving  a  portion 
of  his  earnings,  he  would  spend  them  lavishly  in 
elegant  living,  in  entertaining  his  associates,  and 
in  the  purchase  of  books,  pictures,  and  fancy 
articles  for  himself  or  for  presentation  to  his 
friends. 

As  a  natural  result  of  his  want  of  thrift  he 
was  sometimes  in  straitened  circumstances,  and 
obliged  to  appeal  to  his  family  or  friends  for 
money  to  relieve  the  necessities  to  which  his 
extravagance  had  reduced  him  ;  and  to  such  ap- 
peals there  was  always  a  ready  response. 

He  was  devotedly  attached  to  his  relatives ; 
and  during  his  last  residence  in  Tunis  there 
always    stood    open    on    a   table    in    his    room    a 


DRAMATIC   WORKS.  69 

daguerreotype  of  his  only  surviving  niece,  before 
which  his  Mohammedan  servant  every  morning 
made  a  salaam.  To  this  niece,  of  whom  he  was 
remarkably  fond,  it  must  be  a  pleasure  to  remem- 
ber her  uncle  with  a  smile  on  his  face,  and  neither 
hungry  nor  cold ;  for,  though  the  world  may  be 
slow  to  believe  it,  there  were  times  when  he 
was  warm  and  well  fed,  full  of  fun,  playing  with 
her  as  a  child,  and  well  dressed,  comfortable,  and 
happy. 

In  the  course  of  his  career  as  a  dramatic 
author,  he  wrote  or  translated,  and  adapted  for 
the  English  stage,  upwards  of  fifty  plays,  in- 
cluding tragedies,  comedies,  and  melodramas,  a 
few  of  which  were  the  joint  production  of  him- 
self and  Washington  Irving.  These  pieces  were 
popular  In  their  time,  and  yielded  him  a  com- 
fortable living  during  his  nineteen  -  years'  resi- 
dence In  Europe. 

The  two  productions  of  his  pen  which  are  des- 
tined to  a  permanent  place  in  dramatic  and  poetic 


JO  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

literature  are  the  tragedy  of  "  Brutus,"  and  the 
song  of  ''  Home,  Sweet  Home  ;  "  the  one  written 
when  the  voice  of  popular  applause  was  ringing 
in  his  ears,  and  the  other  in  a  moment  of  depres- 
sion and  sadness  when  the  remembrance  of  home 
and  kindred  came  to  him  as  a  solace  to  his 
weary  spirit. 


FROM  TUNIS  TO  WASHINGTON 


FROM  TUNIS  TO  WASHINGTON, 


And  he  shall  rest  where  laurels  wave, 

And  fragrant  grasses  twine : 
His  sweetly  kept  and  honored  grave 

Shall  be  a  sacred  shrine ; 
And  pilgrims  with  glad  eyes  grown  dim 

Will  fondly  bend  above 
The  man  who  sung  the  triumph  hymn 

Of  earth's  divinest  love. 

Will   Carleton. 

ISOR  many  years  after  the  death  of  John 
^^  Howard  Payne,  it  had  been  the  wish  of 
his  few  surviving  friends,  that  his  remains  might 
be  removed  from  their  resting-place  in  the  ceme- 
tery of  St.  George  at  Tunis,  and  re-interred  in 
the  soil  of  his  native  country,  where  his  memory 
is  so  gratefully  and  fondly  cherished  ;   but  it  re- 

73 


74  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

malned  for  Mr.  William  W.  Corcoran,  of  Wash- 
ington City,  to  take  some  decided  action  towards 
giving  effect  to  a  wish  so  often  expressed. 

As  Mr.  Corcoran  was  riding  by  the  Ebbitt 
House  in  Washington,  one  day  in  the  autumn 
of  1882,  his  ear  was  suddenly  greeted  by  the 
music  of  ''  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  which  the  Ma- 
rine Band  was  playing  in  honor  of  Lieut.  Melville, 
of  the  ill-fated  Arctic  steamer  "  Jeannette,"  who 
had  just  reached  Washington,  and  was  a  guest  of 
the  house  before  which  it  was  stationed.  As  Mr. 
Corcoran  listened  to  the  plaintive  air,  which  never 
fails  to  touch  responsive  chords  in  the  breasts 
of  all  who  hear  it,  his  heart  was  moved  by 
'  tender  memories  of  the  poet  whose  words  have 
made  it  immortal,  and  his  acquaintance  with 
whom  covered  a  period  of  nearly  fifty  years ; 
and  he  that  moment  resolved  that  the  project 
he  had  formed  years  before  concerning  the  re- 
moval of  Mr.  Payne's  remains  to  this  country 
should  at  once  be  carried  into  effect. 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  75 

After  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  discover 
whether  any  of  the  relatives  of  the  poet,  whom 
he  desired  thus  to  honor,  were  still  living,  he 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  Secretary 
of  State :  — 

Washington,  D.C,  Oct.  14,  1882. 

The  Hon.  Frederick  T.  Frelinghuysen, 

Secretary  of  State. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  respectfully  ask  permission  of  the 
State  Department  to  disinter  the  remains  of  our  coun- 
tryman John  Howard  Payne,  which  now  rest  in  a 
grave  near  Tunis,  in  Africa,  that  they  may  receive 
more  appropriate  sepulture  in  the  bosom  of  his  native 
land. 

Mr.  Payne  died,  as  is  well  known,  in  the  service  of 
the  State  Department,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1852,  while 
acting  as  consul  of  the  United  States  at  Tunis;  and 
I  understand  that  a  marble  slab,  erected  by  order  of 
the  Department,  still  marks  the  spot  where  his  body 
was  laid. 

It  has  seemed  to  me  that  the  precious  dust  of  an 
American    citizen,   who   sang  so  sweetly  in   praise  of 


j6  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

"  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  should  not  be  left  to  mingle 
with  any  soil  less  dear  to  him  than  that  of  the  land 
which  gave  him  birth,  and  which,  by  the  beauty  of 
its  home-life,  gave  to  him  his  best  poetical  inspira- 
tion. 

If  you  concur  with  me  in  this  sentiment,  I  beg 
leave  to  say  that  I  will,  when  favored  with  your 
official  permission,  charge  myself  with  the  duty  of 
providing  for  the  removal  of  his  remains  to  this  coun- 
try, and  on  their  arrival  here  will  give  to  them  a  new' 
and  suitable  resting-place  in  Oak-hill  Cemetery,  taking 
care,  of  course,  to  mark  the  spot  with  a  monument 
which  shall  perpetuate  in  the  eyes  of  his  countrymen 
the  name  of  the  poet  already  embalmed  in  their  hearts 
by  his  immortal  lyric. 

I  ought  to  add,  that  I  make  this  application  to  you 
because,  as  the  honored  head  of  the  State  Depart- 
ment, you  seem  to  be  the  natural  custodian  of  Mr. 
Payne's  grave  in  Tunis.  I  am  further  induced  to  make 
this  appeal  to  you,  because,  after  careful  inquiry,  I  am 
led  to  believe  that  Mr.  Payne  has  now  no  descendant 
or  collateral  kindred  to  whom  I  could  address  a  com- 
munication on  the  subject.      In  evidence  of  this  fact, 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  yy 

I   beg  to   invite  your  attention   to   the    accompanying 
letters. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

W.  W.  Corcoran. 

The  Secretary  of  State  replied  to  Mr.  Corco- 
ran as  folloMTS :  — 

Department  of  State,  Washington. 
Oct.  21,  1882. 

W.  W.  Corcoran,  Esq.,  Washin^^ton. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  had  the  pleasure  to  receive 
your  letter  of  the  14th  instant,  in  which  you  ask  the 
sanction  and  aid  of  this  Department  for  your  project 
of  bringing  to  this  country  the  remains  of  John 
Howard  Payne,  now  interred  at  Tunis  in  Africa,  and 
giving  them  appropriate  sepulture  in  his  native  land. 

Your  proposal  meets  with  my  warm  approbation, 
and  I  hasten  to  assure  you  of  my  readiness  to  do 
what  I  can  in  rendering  fitting  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  one  whose  touching  verses  have  so  endeared  him 
to  his  countrymen. 


'/^  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

In  the  absence  of  any  present  consular  representa- 
tive at  Tunis,  I  have  instructed  Mr.  Lowell  to  request 
the  kindly  assistance  of  the  British  Government  in 
obtaining  from  the  Government  of  the  Regency  of 
Tunis  permission  to  exhume  the  remains  of  Mr.  Payne, 
and  in  making  the  necessary  arrangements  to  trans- 
port them  to  this  country.  I  doubt  not  that  this 
assistance  will  be  cheerfully  and  effectively  rendered. 
As  soon  as  I  receive  Mr.  Lowell's  response,  I  will 
hasten  to  communicate  it  to  you. 

I  am,  my  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

Fredk.   T.   Frelinghuysen. 

Before  the  publication  of  the  above  corre- 
spondence, Mr.  Corcoran's  intentions  relative  to 
the  removal  of  the  remains  of  Mr.  Payne  from 
Tunis  to  Washington  had  been  announced  by 
several  correspondents  of  Northern  journals ; 
and,  shortly  afterwards,  he  received  a  letter  from 
Mrs.  Elolse  E.  Luquer,  the  only  surviving  niece 
of  Mr.  Payne,  asking  for  Information  concerning 
the   rumor  relative   to    the    proposed   removal   of 


FROM  TUNIS  TO    WASHINGTON,  'jg 

the  remains  of  her  uncle  from  Tunis ;   to  which 
he  rephed  as  follows  :  — 

Washington,  Oct.  23,  1882. 
Mrs.  Eloise  E.  Luquer, 

Bedford  Station,  A^.V. 

Dear  Madamy  —  I  duly  received  your  favor  of  the 
19th,  but  deferred  an  answer  until  I  received  from 
the  Department  of  State  a  reply  to  my  letter,  in 
which  I  asked  the  permission  and  good  offices  of  the 
Department  in  carrying  out  my  desire  to  have  Mr. 
Payne's  remains  removed  to  his  native  land,  and 
placed  in  Oak-hill  Cemetery,  where  I  intend  to  have 
a  simple  monument,  with  a  suitable  inscription,  placed 
over  them. 

My  letter  to  the  Department  was  written  after 
unsuccessful  efforts  to  find  any  of  his  relatives  living, 
and  I  was  not  aware  of  any  until  the  receipt  of  your 
favor  of  the   19th  instant. 

The  Department  has  given  its  cordial  assent  to  my 
request,  and  has  already  advised  its  agents  abroad  to 
facilitate  the  matter  as  far  as  they  can. 

I    propose    to   give    the    mortal    remains    of    your 


8o  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

distinguished  relative  a  resting-place  in  a  spot  than 
which  none  more  fitting  and  beautiful  can  be  found ; 
and  it  would  afford  me  sincere  gratification  to  have 
your  assent  and  good-will,  while  I  proceed  in  the 
execution  of  my  desire ;  and,  requesting  your  views 
in  that  behalf,  I  beg  to  remain, 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  W.  Corcoran. 

To  this  letter  Mr.  Corcoran  received  the  fol- 
lov^ing  reply :  — 

Bedford  Station,  N.Y.,  Nov.  7,  1882. 
Mr.  William  W.  Corcoran. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  yield  my  consent  to  your  most  kind 
and  generous  wish  in  regard  to  my  uncle,  and  am 
most  grateful  for  the  recognition  of  his  talent,  for 
the  affectionate  interest  which  prompts  the  recogni- 
tion, and  for  the  honor  you  propose  to  his  memory 
by  causing  his  remains  to  be  placed  among  those  of 
the  nation's  honored  dead. 

I  feel  your  kindness  sincerely,  and  am  most 
Gratefully  yours, 

Eloise  E.  Luquer. 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  8l 

Early  In  December,  1882,  Mr.  Corcoran  was 
informed,  by  the  following  letter  from  the  Sec- 
retary of  State,  that  the  British  Government, 
through  Earl  Granville,  H.  B.  M.  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  had  instructed  its  representative 
at  Tunis  to  afford  all  necessary  assistance  in  the 
removal  of  the  remains  of  Mr.  Payne. 

Department  of  State,  Washington, 
Dec.  2,  1882. 

W.  W.  Corcoran,  Esq.,  Washington^  D.C. 

Sir,  —  Referring  to  the  reply  of  this  Department  of 
the  2 1st  of  October  last,  to  your  letter  of  the  14th 
of  that  month,  in  relation  to  the  removal  of  the 
remains  of  the  American  poet,  John  Howard  Payne, 
from  Tunis  to  this  capital,  I  now  have  the  pleasure 
of  informing  you  that  Mr.  Lowell,  having  brought  the 
subject  to  the  attention  of  the  British  Government, 
received  on  the  i6th  ultimo  a  note  from  Earl  Gran- 
ville, in  which  his  Lordship  says  that  he  has  caused 
instructions  to  be  addressed  to  Her  Majesty's  Consul- 
General    at    Tunis,    in    the    sense    indicated    by    Mr. 


82  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

Lowell,  and  that  the  result  of  the  action  taken  by 
the  Consul  will  be  duly  communicated  to  the  Lega^ 
tion  at  London. 

I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Fredk.  T.  Frelinghuysen. 


In  February,  1883,  the  Secretary  of  State  ad- 
dressed the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Corcoran, 
relative  to  the  shipment  of  the  remains  to  Mar- 
seilles :  — 

Department  of  State,  Washington, 
Feb.  8,  1883. 

W.  W.  Corcoran,  Esq.,  Washington,  D.C. 

Sw, — With  reference  to  previous  correspondence 
in  regard  to  the  removal  of  the  remains  of  John 
Howard  Payne  from  Tunis  to  this  capital,  I  take 
pleasure  in  enclosing  herewith  for  your  information 
a  copy  of  a  recent  despatch  from  Mr.  Lowell,  the 
American  Minister  at  London,  on  the  subject. 
I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant,     * 

Fredk.  T.  Frelinghuysen. 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  Z^ 

[Copy.] 

Legation  of  the  United  States, 
London,  Jan.  12,  1883. 

Sir,  —  Referring  to  my  communication  of  the  2d 
instant,  in  relation  to  the  removal  of  the  remains  of 
the  late  John  Howard  Payne  to  the  United  States, 
I  have  the  honor  to  acquaint  you  that  late  in  the 
evening  of  that  day  I  received  the  following  telegram 
from  Mr.  Davis,  Assistant  Secretary :  — 

"  Have  you  received  news  from  Tunis  relative  to 
Payne's  remains } " 

I  answered  this  by  cable  the  next  day  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

'^  No  direct  news  from  Tunis.  Lord  Granville  in- 
formed me  yesterday  he  had  telegraphed,  Dec.  30,  to 
Consul-General,  instructions  to  comply  with  wishes 
transmitted  in  your  despatch." 

On  the  4th  instant  I  received  a  further  note  from 
Lord  Granville,  dated  on  the  ist,  stating  that  the 
Consul-General  at  Tunis  had  telegraphed  on  the  31st 
December,  that  the  remains  would  be  shipped  to 
Marseilles  on  the  4th  of  January, 


84  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

I  immediately  telegraphed  this  information  to  you 
as  follows :  — 

"Lord  Granville  informs  me,  Consul-General,  Tunis, 
has  telegraphed,  remains  will  be  shipped  4th  January, 
consigned  to  United-States  Consul,  Marseilles." 

I  have  received  this  morning  another  letter  from 
his  Lordship,  with  enclosures  giving  an  account  of 
the  exhumation,  and  their  shipment  on  board  of  the 
"Charles  Quint,"  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Taylor,  the 
Consul  at  Marseilles. 

I  enclose  copies  of  such  of  this  correspondence  as 
has  not  already  been  transmitted. 

I  have  written  to  Lord  Granville  an  expression  of 
my  thanks  for  his  courtesy,  and  that  of  the  British 
officials  at  Tunis,  in  this  matter. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  R.  Lowell. 

[Copy.] 

Tunis,  6th  January,  1883. 

My  Lord,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  report,  that,  pur- 
suantly   to   instructions    expressed   in    your   lordship's 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  85 

telegram  of  the  30th  ultimo,  the  remains  of  John 
Howard  Payne  were  this  day  shipped  on  board  the 
French  steam-vessel  "  Charles  Quint,"  to  the  consign- 
ment of  Mr.  Taylor,  the  United-States  Consul  at 
Marseilles. 

Owing  to  the  impossibility  of  complying  with  some 
of  the  formalities  which  under  ordinary  circumstances 
would  have  been  strictly  enforced,  in  connection  with 
the  exhumation  of  the  body,  and  to  my  communica- 
tions with  the  United-States  Consulate  at  Malta,  in 
the  hope  that  some  ship-of-war  of  that  nation  might 
be  charged  with  its  conveyance  across  the  Atlantic, 
some  delay  occurred  in  the  execution  of  the  instruc- 
tions with  which  I  was,  in  the  first  instance,  honored 
by  your  lordship. 

As  stated  in  my  telegram  of  the  30th  ultimo,  I 
had  arranged  to  ship  the  remains  two  days  ago ;  but 
in  order  to  allow  of  the  arrival  of  the  United-States 
Consul  at  Malta,  who  had  expressed  a  wish  to  be 
present  at  their  disinterment,  the  shipment  did  not 
take  place  until  this  morning.  • 

.  I  beg,  in  conclusion,  to  enclose  a  copy  of  the  act 
executed  on  the  occasion  of  the  exhumation  of  those 


86  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

remains,  and  of  my  despatch  to  the  United-States 
Consul  at  Marseilles  announcing  their  shipment  to 
his  address. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Thomas  F.  Reade. 


[Copy.] 

Tunis,  Jan.  6,  1883. 

Sir,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  that,  con- 
formably with  the  instructions  of  Her  Majesty's 
Principal  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs,  I 
this  day  shipped  on  board  the  French  steam-vessel 
"Charles  Quint,"  and  to  your  consignment  at  Mar- 
seilles, a  case  containing  three  coffins  —  two  being  of 
wood,  and  one  of  lead  —  the  innermost  of  which  con- 
tains the  remains  of  John  Howard  Payne,  the  distin- 
guished poet  and  dramatist  of  your  nation,  who  died 
in  this  city  on  the  9th  of  April,  1852,  while  serving 
his  country  in  the  capacity  of  consul. 

The  exhumation  of  those  remains  took  place  yes- 
terday, with  all  the  required  formalities ;  Mr.  Worthing- 


FROM  TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  8/ 

ton,  the  United-States  Consul  at  Malta,  being  among 
those  who  were  present  on  the  occasion. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

Thomas  F.  Reade. 

Horace  A.  Taylor,  Esq., 
United-States  Consul^  Marseilles. 


[Copy  of  the  Act  executed  on  the  Occasion  of  the  Ex- 
humation OF  the  Remains  of  John  Howard  Payne.] 

Tunis,  Jan.  5,  1883. 

In  pursuance  of  instructions  which,  at  the  request 
of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
have  been  communicated  to  the  English  representa- 
tive in  this  country  by  Her  Majesty's  Principal  Secre- 
tary of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs,  the  exhumation, 
prior  to  removal  to  the  United  States,  of  the  remains 
of  J.  H.  Payne,  the  distinguished  citizen  and  poet, 
who  died  at  Tunis,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1852,  while 
serving  his  country  as  consul,  took  place  this  day  in 
the  presence  of  Thomas  Fellows  Reade,  Esq.,  Her 
Britannic  Majesty's  Agent  and  Consul  General,  and 
the   following   officers   and   gentlemen :    Dr.    F.   Arpa, 


88  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

Her  Majesty's  Consul,  and  Judge ;  John  Worthington, 
Esq.,  United-States  Consul  at  Malta;  Mr.  M.  Pisani, 
British  Proconsul;  Dr.  G.  E.  Pratz,  M.D.  ;  Dr.  Achille 
Perini,  M.D. ;  Commander  W.  M.  Bridger,  R.N. ;  Mr. 
G.  Carbonaro;  and  Mr.  Alf.  M.  Camilleri,  LL.D. ;  and 
with  all  the  formalities  required  by  law. 

In  testimony  of  which,  the  undersigned  have  hereto 
subscribed  their  names,  in  the  Protestant  Cemetery  of 
St.  George,  at  Tunis,  this  fifth  day  of  January,  1883. 
Thos.  F.  Reade, 

H.  M.^s  Agent  and  Consul-General. 

F.  Arpa, 

H.  M.''s  Consul,  and  Judge. 
John  Worthington, 

U.  S.  Consul  at  Malta. 

M.    PiSANI, 

British  Proconsul. 
Dr.  G.  E.  Pratz, 

Medecin  de  S.  A.  le  Bey  de  Tunis. 
Dr.  Achille  Perini, 

Medecin  de  Police  de  S.  A.  le  Bey. 
W.  M.  Bridger,  R.N. 

G.  Carbonaro. 

Avo'TE  Alf.  M.  Camilleri. 


FROM  TUNIS  TO    WASHINGTON.  89 

[Copy.] 

Legation  of  the  United  States, 
London,  Jan.  12,  1883. 

My  Lord,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the 
reception  of  Mr.  Currie's  note  on  behalf  of  your  Lord- 
ship of  the  nth  instant,  with  its  enclosures  stating 
the  fact  of  the  exhumation  of  the  remains  of  the  late 
John  Howard  Payne,  at  Tunis,  and  their  shipment  to 
the  care  of  the  United-States  Consul  at  Marseilles, 
agreeably  to  the  request  of  my  Government ;  and  I 
beg  to  express  my  most  sincere  thanks  for  your  Lord- 
ship's courtesy  in  this  matter,  and  for  the  promptness, 
delicacy,  and  efficiency  with  which  Her  Majesty's 
Consul-General  at  Tunis,  and  other  British  officials, 
have  conducted  this  transaction. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  R.  Lowell. 

Pursuant  to  arrangements  indicated  in  the 
foregoing  correspondence,  the  remains  of  Mr. 
Payne  v^ere  exhumed  Jan.  5,   1883,  as  described 


go  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

in  the  following  letter  from  the  U.  S.  Consul  at 
Malta ;  and  on  the  following  day  were  conveyed 
to  Marseilles,  and  placed  on  board  the  steam- 
ship "  Burgundia"  for  transportation  to  New 
York. 

Tunis,  Jan.  5,  1883. 

My  dear  Mr.  Brown,  —  Learning  that  the*  body 
of  John  Howard  Payne,  author  of  "  Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  was  to  be  exhumed  from  its  grave  in  Tunis, 
and  sent  to  America,  at  the  expense  of  W.  W.  Cor- 
coran, Esq.,  of  Washington ;  and  learning,  too,  that 
probably  not  any  American  would  be  present,  —  I 
resolved  to  take  a  run  over  to  Tunis,  and,  if  possible, 
get  there  in  time  to  witness  the  disinterment. 

I  had  written  and  telegraphed  Mr.  Thomas  Reade, 
the  British  Consul-General  at  Tunis,  asking  him  to 
inform  me  on  what  day  the  exhumation  would  occur ; 
he  replying,  ''On  Wednesday,  the  3d  inst."  As  no 
steamer  would  leave  Malta  for  Tunis  (after  the  receipt 
of  Mr.  Reade's  telegram)  until  noon  of  the  3d  inst., 
I  had  doubts  whether  I  would  be  able  to  reach  Tunis 
in  time,  particularly  as  my  steamer  would  not  arrive 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  9 1 

at  Tunis  till  Thursday,  the  4th  inst. ;  but  fortunately, 
upon  reaching  this  place,  and  calling  upon  Mr.  Reade, 
I  found  the  exhumation  had  not  taken  place,  but 
would  occur  to-day  at  10  a.m.  You  can  imagine  how- 
glad  I  was  then  that  I  had  chanced  coming,  and  that 
Mrs.  Worthington  had  accompanied  me.  Of  course  I 
did  not  come  in  an  official  capacity,  but  simply  as  an 
American  citizen,  who  could  not  bear  the  idea  that  the 
body  of  the  author  of  "Home,  Sweet  Home"  (once 
a  distinguished  United-States  Consul  at  Tunis,  who 
died  and  was  buried  there  in  1852)  should  be  taken 
from  its  grave,  and  sent  to  its  native  land,  and  not 
one  of  his  countrymen  be  present.     Hence  I  came. 

This  morning,  at  12  m.,  the  exhumation  took  place, 
in  the  presence  of  about  twenty  persons, — a  few 
being  Tunisians  attracted  to  the  spot  through  curi- 
osity, the  others  being  laborers  employed,  and  a  few 
gentlemen  acting  as  witnesses  at  the  request  of  Mr. 
Reade.  I  also  signed  the  paper  as  a  witness  that  the 
exhumation  took  place  as  stated.  There  were  two 
persons  present  who  were  at  the  funeral  and  inter- 
ment of  Payne ;   i.e.,  M.  Pisani  and  a  dragoman. 

The  coffin  was  badly  decayed,  and  was  kept  from 


92  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

falling  apart,  when  raised,  with  difficulty ;  but  every- 
thing relating  to  the  remains  was  scrupulously  and 
reverently  preserved  and  handled.  There  was  little 
else  than  the  blackened  skeleton  left.  Traces  of  the 
colonel's  uniform,  in  which  Payne  was  buried,  were 
distinguishable,  —  some  gold-lace  and  a  few  buttons. 
I  asked  for  a  button,  which  was  given  me,  and  which 
I  enclose  to  you.  Mr.  Reade  also  retains  a  button.  I 
likewise  enclose  a  twig  from  the  large  pepper-tree  that 
is  growing  at  the  head  of  the  now  empty  grave ;  this 
twig  having  fallen  on  the  coffin,  from  which  I  took  it. 

At  three  o'clock,  after  the  body  had  been  put  in 
its  lead  coffin  and  soldered,  and  then  into  its  hard- 
wood coffin,  and  then  its  outer  box,  it  was  brought  to 
the  little  Protestant  church,  where  it  will  rest  to-night 
under  guard,  and  to-morrow  morning  be  taken  to  a 
vessel  leaving  for  Marseilles  in  the  afternoon. 

I  will  add  that  I  tried,  unsuccessfully,  to  procure  a 
band  to  play  Payne's  immortal  song  as  his  remains 
should  leave  the  mari7ta  of  Tunis ;  but  not  any  could 
play  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  although  I  had  the 
words  and  notes  with  me.  However,  as  the  body 
was    brought    into    the    chapel,    an    English    captain, 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON. 


93 


Bridger,  played  a  dirge  on  the  little  American  organ 

there,    after   which    Mrs.    Worthington    sang    ''Home, 

Sweet   Home,"  very  sweetly ;   and  then  we  all  came 

away,  leaving  the  poor  body  lying  under  the  memorial 

window    in    the    chancel,    which    a    few    large-hearted 

Englishmen  had  put  in  there  in  tender  and  gracious 

memory  of  one  they  loved  and  honored,  not  alone  for 

his  authorship  of  the  most  touching  of  all  songs,  but 

for  the  half  melancholy  and  wholly  beautiful  character 

of  the  man  himself. 

If   you  care   to    show  this  letter  to  Mr.  Corcoran, 

you   can   do   so,  giving   him   the   pepper   branch.      It 

strikes  me  that  Americans  cannot  too  warmly  thank 

and  honor  Mr.  Corcoran  for  this  most  thoughtful  and 

patriotic   deed    of    his.      That    Payne    should    at    last 

sleep  in  the  land  of  his  own  Sweet  Home,  must  be 

a  gratifying  thought  to  all  his  countrymen. 

Faithfully  yours, 

John  Worthington. 
Sevellon  a.  Brown,  Esq., 

Department  of  State. 

The  follov^Ing  graphic  narrative  is  furnished  by 
a  correspondent  of  ''The  Nev^-York  Tribune  :  "  — 


94  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

*' Yesterday,  at  ten  o'clock  a.m.,  I  went  to  the  not 
unattractive  and  decidedly  neat  Protestant  Cemetery  of 
St.  George,  situated  on  high,  wall-surrounded  ground 
within  the  city.  I  was  agreeably  disappointed  in  the 
appearance  of  this  God's-acre,  as  I  had  read  in  Amer- 
ican newspapers  that  Payne's  grave  was  a  neglected 
one,  in  a  neglected  burial-ground.  On  the  contrary, 
the  grounds  were  planted  with  flourishing  and  fra- 
grant rose-bushes,  splendid  clumps  of  heliotropes,  and 
hedges  of  brilliant  carnation  pinks  and  geraniums, 
while  the  walks  were  clean  and  smooth,  and  the  stones 
and  monuments  snowy  white  in  the  morning  sun.  I 
should  think  the  enclosure  contained  about  an  acre, 
and  almost  in  the  centre  of  it  was  the  grave  of  Payne. 
At  the  head  of  the  grave  was  standing  a  large  and 
beautiful  pepper-tree,  branches  of  which  bent  tenderly 
and  droopingly  over  the  tomb.  This,  the  finest  and 
noblest  tree  in  the  place,  was  planted  by  one  of 
Payne's  truest  and  best  friends  in  Tunis,  —  M.  Chap- 
pellie,  who  was  present  at  the  death  and  interment 
of  the  poet.  From  M.  Chappellie,  and  also  Mr.  Reade 
the  British  Consul,  under  whose  directions  the  disin- 
terment  took   place,   I   learned  much  of   Payne's  last 


FROM  TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  95 

days  and  sickness.  The  narrative  of  them  is  a  painful 
one.  Let  it  suffice  if  I  write  what  I  heard  touch- 
ingly  and  heartily  said  by  the  two  or  three  gentlemen 
present  at  the  exhumation,  who  had  familiarly  known 
Payne,  —  that  his  character  through  disappointments, 
fancied  loneliness,  and  long  brooding,  had  become  of 
a  sad,  soft,  and  delicate  melancholy,  that  v/as,  while 
gentle  and  pitiful,  at  the  same  time  most  winning  and 
beautiful.  His  illness  was  a  long  and  painful  one; 
but  he  had  most  faithful  and  loving  friends  in  M. 
Chappellie,  M.  Pisani,  Mr.  Reade,  Mme.  Chappellie  (an 
American-born  lady  with  an  American  heart),  and  a 
certain  (now  old)  Arab  dragoman,  whose  attachment  to 
the  poet  was  deep  and  sincere.  I  saw  this  honest 
man  at  the  exhumation,  wearing  his  Arab  costume, 
believing  in  the  Mahometan  religion,  but  full  of  Christ- 
like humanity.  The  Europeans  present  at  the  grave 
on  this  sunny  Friday  morning  were  about  a  dozen  in 
number ;  several  Arab  gentlemen  being  also  on  the 
ground,  in  their  rich  and  picturesque  dress  and  tur- 
bans. 

"  The  coffin  was  reached  by  the  workmen  at  about 
twelve  o'clock,  and  was  carefully  lifted  and  placed  on 


96  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

the  broad  marble  slab  which  for  thirty  years  had  cov- 
ered it,  and  which  bears  the  following  inscription :  — 


E  PLURIBUS   UNUM. 
[Shield  ahd  Eagle.] 

In  memory 

Col.  John  Howard  Payne: 

tzvice  Constcl  of 

The  United  States  of  America, 

for 

The  City  and  Kingdom  of  Tunis, 

this  stone  is  here  placed 

by  a  grateful  country. 

He  died  at  the  American  Consulate 

in  this  city,  after  a  tedious  illness, 

April  ist,  1852. 
He  was  born  at  the  City  of  Boston, 
State  of  Massachusetts, 

June  8th,  1792. 
His  fame  as  a  Poet  and  Dramatist 
IS  well  known  wherever  the  English  Language 
IS  spoken,  through  his  celebrated  Ballad 

of 
"Home,  sweet  Home:" 

AND  his  popular  TrAGEDY 

of  "Brutus,"  &c.,  and  other  similar  productions. 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  97 

"On  the  four  edges  of  this  slab  is  also  carved:  — 

"Sure,  when  thy  gentle  spirit  fled 
To  realms  beyond  the  azure  dome, 
With  arms  outstretched  God's  angels  said, 
'  Welcome  to  Heaven's  Home,  Sweet  Home ! 

"The  coffin  was  badly  rotted  in  spite  of  the  care 
taken  by  United-States  Consul  Fish,  who  several 
months  ago  incased  it  in  cement  for  its  better  preser- 
vation. A  little,  thread-like  root  of  the  pepper-tree 
had  made  its  way  into  the  grave  and  coffin,  and  was 
just  about  to  pass  across  the  forehead.  Some  of  our 
mother  earth  had  got  in  the  coffin,  and  mingled  with 
the  bones.  The  whole  skeleton  was  obtained,  and  laid 
reverently  in  a  new  coffin,  which  was  covered  with 
lead,  soldered  and  sealed.  This  was  then  placed  in  a 
neat,  native  hard-wood  coffin,  which  was  secured  by 
locks  and  keys ;  all  then  being  put  in  the  strong,  iron- 
bound  outside  box,  which  bore  the  address,  'To  U.S. 
Consul  Taylor,  Marseilles,  France.' 

"At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  body  was 
taken  to  the  small  and  simple  Protestant  church,  and 
placed  near  the  pretty  little  chancel  window,  on  which 


98  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

are  inscribed  these  words  :  *  To  the  memory  of  John 
Howard  Payne,  author  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home."  ' 

*'This  window  was  made  in  England,  and  placed 
here  by  a  few  English-speaking  residents  of  Tunis, 
whose  admiration  and  respect  for  Payne  were  decided 
and  sincere.  Indeed,  I  found  among  the  poet's  friends 
an  affectionate  regard '  that  was  akin  to  enthusiasm. 
They  grieved  to  lose  the  sacred  bones  that  had  lain 
here  for  thirty  long  years,  the  object  of  their  loving 
and  ceaseless  care.  When  the  body  was  carried  into 
the  church,  an  English  gentleman  at  the  little  Ameri- 
can-made organ  played  the  air,  and  a  sweet-voiced 
American  lady  sang  the  immortal  song  of  the  dead 
poet ;  and  as  the  tender  words  tremulously  floated 
through  and  filled  the  holy  place,  hearts  swelled,  eyes 
were  suffused,  and  'a  charm  from  the  skies  seemed 
to  hallow  us  there.' 

"Tongue  cannot  tell  nor  pen  describe  the  effect  of 
that  song  sung  under  the  circumstances  stated.  The 
gloaming  of  the  coming  evening  had  crept  into  the 
chapel ;  and  the  *  dim  religious  light '  that  Payne's  poetic 
temperament  could  have  understood  and  absorbed 
bathed  all,  both  living  and  dead,  in  its  mellow  radi- 


FROM   TUNIS  TO    WASHINGTON.  99 

ance.  The  twilight  came  on  apace ;  and  we  left  the 
poor  remains  to  lie  there  until  the  morrow,  guarded 
by  the  faithful  dragoman  who  in  life,  as  in  death,  was 
stanch  and  faithful  to  the  last. 

"To-day  the  body  was  taken  to  the  marina,  and 
put  aboard  a  boat,  rowed  down  the  bay  and  out  into 
the  open  sea,  where  it  was  received  on  the  French 
steamer,  which  soon  after  was  en  route  to  Marseilles. 
Thus  John  Howard  Payne  left  Tunis  to  be  re-buried 
in  the  land  he  loved,  to  sleep  henceforth  under  the 
flag  he  served  so  well ;  not  again,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
to  be  disturbed,  but  to  lie  dreamless  and  tranquil  in 
the  soil  of  his  own  Home,  Sweet  Home.  Mr.  Reade's 
admirable  management  of  the  exhumation,  and  com- 
pliance with  every  wish  and  instruction  of  the  United 
States  Government  in  the  matter,  cannot  be  too  highly 
commended." 

The  remains  of  John  Howard  Payne'  arrived 
In  New  York  on  the  2 2d  of  March,  1883,  by  the 
steamer   ''  Burgundia,"   of   the    Fabre  line,    from 

^  For  the  accounts  which  follow,  the  author  is  mainly  indebted  to 
descriptions  which  appeared  in  journals  of  New  York  and  Washington. 


lOO  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

Marseilles.  They  were  met  at  the  pier  in  Brook- 
lyn by  Aldermen  Wait,  Duffy,  Kirk,  Fitzpatrick, 
and  De  Lacy,  who  were  appointed  an  honorary 
committee  for  that  purpose  by  the  Board  of 
Aldermen,  and  by  Mr.  Charles  M.  Matthews  and 
Lieut.  Reginald  F.  Nicholson,  U.  S.  Navy,  who 
came  from  Washington  as  representatives  of  Mr. 
W.  W.  Corcoran.  The  coffin,  covered  with  the 
American  flag,  was  borne  from  the  vessel  be- 
tween two  long  rows  of  spectators,  who  stood 
with  heads  reverently  uncovered,  to  a  hearse  in 
waiting  on  the  pier,  which  was  drawn  by  four 
white  horses  draped  with  black.  Followed  by 
the  carriages  containing  the  members  of  the 
committee,  the  hearse  proceeded  solemnly  over 
Fulton  Ferry,  up  Fulton  Street  to  Broadway,  and 
to  the  front  of  the  City  Hall,  where  several 
thousand  persons,  including  most  of  the  city 
officers,  were  gathered.  All  stood  with  bared 
heads  as  the  coffin,  still  covered  with  the  Ameri- 
can colors,  was  borne  into  the  hall  and  to  the 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  lOI 

Governors  Room  on  the  second  floor.  Here 
the  remains  lay  in  state  until  the  afternoon  of 
the  following  day,  during  which  time  upwards 
of  twelve  thousand  persons  passed  by  the  coffin 
in  which  they  were  enclosed. 

The  entrance  to  the  Governor's  Room  was 
draped  with  black,  and  folds  of  velvet  trimmed 
with  heavy  gold  bullion.  The  windows  facing 
the  park,  and  the  two  side  entrances,  were  hung 
with  festoons  of  black  cloth  to  which  were 
attached  mourning  wreaths.  All  the  flags  on 
the  City  Hall  were  at  half-mast,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  the  departure  of  the  remains  for 
Washington.  From  the  opening  of  the  doors 
till  the  removal  of  the  body,  the  line  of  persons 
who  slowly  passed  by  was  almost  continuous. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Gabriel  Harrison, 
one  of  Payne's  biographers,  by  whose  exertions  a 
beautiful  monument  was,  In  1873,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  poet  in  Prospect  Park,  Brooklyn, 
laid  a  wreath  of   immortelles  on  the  coffin.     A 


I02  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

lady  who  noticed  this  expression  of  affectionate 
remembrance  took  a  red  rose  from  a  bunch  of 
flowers  at  her  throat,  and  dropped  it  within  the 
wreath. 

Before  the  removal  of  the  coffin  from  the 
City  Hall,  Mr.  Charles  M.  Matthews,  represent- 
ing Mr.  William  W.  Corcoran,  called  upon  Mayor 
Edson  in  his  office,  and  expressed  the  thanks  of 
Mr.  Corcoran  for  the  public  notice  of  the  arrival 
of  the  remains  in  New  York.  He  also  visited 
President  Reilly  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  for 
the  same  purpose. 

At  four  o'clock  Gilmore's  Band  of  sixty-five 
pieces  played  ''  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  at  the 
head  of  the  coffin,  Mr.  Gilmore  leading.  The 
simple  air  came  out  with  fulness  and  expression, 
and  almost  without  variation.  By  this  time  a 
throng  had  gathered  in  and  around  the  City 
Hall,  packing  the  Governor's  Room  and  the 
corridors,  lining  the  steps,  and  occupying  nearly 
all  of  the  broad  plaza.     Then  the  band  descended 


FROM  TUNIS  TO    WASHINGTON.  103 

to  the  steps,  and  played  a  dirge  as  the  coffin 
was  borne  to  the  hearse  which  was  waiting. 
Mr.  Matthews  and  Lieut.  Nicholson  followed  the 
coffin ;  and  after  them  came  the  Committee  of 
the  Board  of  Aldermen,  other  city  officials,  and 
residents,  who  had  been  in  the  Governor's 
Room.  *' Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,"  ''Old 
Hundred,"  and  ''  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  again 
were  played,  the  latter  as  the  coffin  was  carried 
down  the  steps.  As  the  hearse  drove  away,  the 
band  played  ''The  Star-spangled  Banner;"  and 
as  the  procession  passed  out  of  sight,  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home  "  was  again  repeated.  Twelve  car- 
riages followed  the  hearse,  which  was  drawn  by 
four  white  horses  with  funeral  trappings,  and 
preceded  by  a  platoon  of  twenty-four  police. 

The  procession  moved  up  Broadway,  to  Canal 
Street,  and  through  West  Street,  to  the  Des- 
brosses-street  Ferry.  An  immense  concourse  of 
people  stood  on  the  sidewalks  of  the  streets 
through    which    it    passed,    and    on     the     North 


I04  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

River  the  flags  on  the  shipping  and  at  the 
ferry-houses    were    at    half-mast. 

As  the  procession  moved  up  Broadway,  it 
passed  by  the  very  building  in  which  Mr.  Payne 
packed  his  trunks  thirty-two  years  before,  and 
from  which  he  walked,  unattended,  to  the  ship 
which  was  to  bear  him  forever  from  his  native 
land. 

A  compartment  car,  which  had  been  kindly 
furnished  by  President  Roberts  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  Company,  was  waiting  on  the 
track  close  to  the  ferry-house.  The  coffin  was 
left  on  the  floor  of  the  car,  the  flag  covering  it, 
and  the  wreath  of  immortelles  lying  at  its  foot. 
The  Committee  then  left  the  remains  in  the  care 
of  the  representatives  of  Mr.  Corcoran.  The  car 
was  then  attached  to  the  train,  which  at  nine 
o'clock  departed  for  Washington,  and  reached 
that  city  early  in  the  morning  of  Saturday,  March 
twenty-fourth. 

Mr.    Corcoran    having    expressly    desired    that 


FROM   TUNIS   TO    WASHINGTON.  105 

no  ceremonies  should  attend  the  arrival,  there 
was  no  one  at  the  depot  but  himself,  and  the 
undertaker  who  was  commissioned  to  take  the 
remains  in  charge.  During  their  passage  from 
New  York  to  Washington,  they  were  in  the  care 
of  Mr.  Charles  M.  Matthews,  Lieut.  Reginald  F. 
Nicholson,  U.  S.  Navy,  and  Mr.  Sevellon  A. 
Brown  of  the  Department  of  State. 

The  coffin  containing  the  remains  was  taken 
to  the  hearse  in  waiting,  followed  by  Mr.  Cor- 
coran and  his  representatives,  who  accompanied 
it  to  Oak  Hill,  Georgetown,  and  saw  it  deposited 
in  the  cemetery  chapel. 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES. 


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THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES. 


The  passing  breath  of  foolish  praise  or  pity 
Nature  forgets,  and  well  may  disregard; 

But  to  the  silence  of  her  sacred  city 
Receives  the  bust  and  ashes  of  her  bard. 

Here  rest,  O  restless  and  far-wandered  mortal, 
Laid  in  thy  native  earth  no  more  to  roam  ! 

Dost  hear,  glad  spirit  at  the  heavenly  portal, 
What  loving  voices  sing  thee  "Home,  Sweet  Home"? 

John  Savary 

"^HE    remains   of   John    Howard    Payne   were 

consigned  to  their  final  resting-place  in  Oak 

Hill    Cemetery,   at  Georgetown,  with  impressive 

and  appropriate  ceremonies,  on  the  afternoon  of 

June  9,    1883,  the  ninety-second  anniversary  of 

his    birth.      A    fitting    and    beautiful    monument 

109 


no  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

had  previously  been  erected  over  his  tomb  by 
Mr.  William  W.  Corcoran  ;  and  the  proceedings 
were  in  charge  of  the  following  Committee  of 
Arrangements :  James  C.  Welling,  LL.D.,  Chair- 
man, Mr.  Charles  M.  Matthews,  Secretary,  Hon. 
James  B.  Edmonds,  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Kauffmann, 
Mr.  Anthony  Hyde,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman, 
U.S.  Army,  Mr.  Edward  Clark,  Mr.  Sevellon 
A.  Brown,  Mr.  F.  B.  McGuire,  Admiral  David 
D.  Porter,  U.S.  Navy,  Mr.  S.  V.  Niles,  Hon. 
W.  S.  Cox,  Col.  Richard  D.  Cutts,  Mr.  Matthew 
W.  Gait. 

The  pageantry  of  the  funeral  procession,  and 
the  Impressive  ceremonies  of  the  occasion  were 
a  tribute  to  the  genius  of  a  poet  beloved 
throughout  the  world  for  his  one  little  song 
that  appeals  to  the  heart  of  every  civilized 
creature. 

With  the  solemn  strains  of  funeral  dirges, 
the  echoing  peals  of  minute-guns,  the  measured 
tramp    of  martial   columns,   and   a   distinguished 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  in 

following  of  notable  men,  representing  all  hon- 
orable walks  of  life,  the  funeral  procession  passed 
through  the  streets  of  the  national  capital  to 
the  silent  resting-place  of  the  dead.  All  the 
pomp  and  circumstance  of  human  grandeur  con- 
tributed to  this  final  honor  paid  by  the  living 
to  the  dead.  The  government  was  represented 
by  its  Chief  Executive  and  his  council  of  consti- 
tutional advisers ;  by  the  occupants  of  the  bench 
of  its  judiciary;  by  members  of  both  houses  of 
Congress ;  by  numerous  representatives  of  the 
army  and  navy,  and  by  members  of  the  diplo- 
matic corps. 

The  array  of  prominent  government  officials, 
and  representatives  of  foreign  powers ;  the  pres- 
ence of  the  military,  and  the  throngs  of  citizens, 
gave  the  demonstration  a  national  character  that 
marked  it  as  the  tribute  of  the  entire  nation. 

The  procession  was  formed  at  the  Corcoran 
Gallery  of  Art,  in  which  the  remains  lay  in  state 
the  preceding  night.     The  military  and  the  civil- 


1 1 2  JOHN  HOWARD  PA  YNE. 

ians  began  to  gather  some  time  before  the 
appointed  hour,  which  was  four  o'clock.  The 
remains,  enclosed  in  a  handsome  casket,  were 
placed  in  a  hearse  which  had  been  especially 
built  for  the  occasion.  It  was  a  square-finished 
vehicle,  with  plate-glass  walls,  surmounted  by 
six  urns,  and  was  drawn  by  four  white  horses. 
As  the  casket  was  borne  from  the  building,  pre- 
ceded by  the  honorary  pall-bearers,  the  United- 
States     Marine     Band     played    '*  Home,    Sweet 

Home." 

THE    PROCESSION. 

The  procession  moved  from  the  Corcoran 
Gallery  of  Art,  at  four  o'clock  p.m.,  via  Penn- 
sylvania Avenue,  Bridge,  Congress,  and  Road 
Streets,  to  the  Cemetery,  in  the  following  col- 
umn of  march :  — 

CHIEF   MARSHAL. 
BvT.  Maj.-Gen.  R.  B.  Ayres,  U.S. A 

Aides  :  Lieuts.  Geo.  Mitohell,  Sebree  Smith,  and  Lotus  Niles  (2d  artillery),U.S.  A. 

Aides:    Messrs.  Harrison  H.  Dodge.  Robt.  S.  Chew. 

Band. 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL   RITES.  1 13 

The  National  Rifles.  Col.  J.  0.  P.  Burnsidb. 

The  Union  Veteran  Corps,  Capt.  S.  B.  Thomason. 

Light  Battery  (2d  artillery).  Capt.  John  I.  Rogers,  U.S.A. 

Band. 

Washington  Light  Infantry  Corps.  Col.  W.  G.  Moorb. 

Band. 

Artillery  Battalion  (2d  artillery).  Col.  L.  L.  Langdon.  U.S. A 

The  Officiating  Clergy. 

Hearse  b^jaring  Remains 

OF 

JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

^alUlSearera.  palUSrarers. 

Gen.  J.  G.  Parke.  US. A.  Col.  Thos.  L.  Casey.  U.S.A. 

COM.  W.  G.  Temple.  U.S.N.  Hon.  Willl/im  A.  Maury. 

Hon.  Clayton  McMichabl.  Prop.  Spencer  P.  Baird. 

Gabriel  Harrison.  Esq.  Maj.  A.  S.  Nicholson.  U.S.M.O. 

The  Relatives  op  John  Howard  Payne. 
The  Orator  op  the  Day.  The  Poet  op  the  Day. 

The  President  of  the  United  States. 
Members  op  the  Cabinet. 
Members  op  the  Diplomatic  Corps. 
The  Chief- Justice  and  Assoclatb  Justices  op  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  U.S.. 
Clerk  and  Marshal. 
The  Chief-Justice  and  Assocla.te  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  op  the  DC. 
Clerk  and  Marshal. 
The  Chief-Justice  and  Judges  op  the  U.S.  Court  of  Claims,  and  its  Clerk. 
Members  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives. 
The  Commissioners  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  Secretary. 
Mr.  Corcoran  and  his  Family. 
The  Committee  of  Arrangements. 


114  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

The  relatives  of  Mr.  Payne  in  the  procession 
were  the  Rev.  Lea  Luquer  and  wife,  of  Bedford 
Station,  N.  Y. ;  the  latter  being  a  niece  of  the 
poet,  and  the  only  surviving  member  of  her 
father's  family. 

All  along  the  route  the  people  had  gathered 
to  witness  the  splendid  and  imposing  funeral 
pageant.  The  sidewalks  were  thronged  and  the 
windows  filled  with  eager  spectators,  who  uncov- 
ered their  heads  as  the  procession  passed. 

Before  the  procession  reached  Oak  Hill,  the 
holders  of  tickets  had  begun  to  arrive,  and  take 
their  positions  on  the  platform  which  had  been 
built  around  the  monument. 

The  site  of  the  monument  is  one  of  great 
natural  beauty,  near  the  main  entrance  to  the 
cemetery,  and  about  midway  on  the  lawn  be- 
tween the  fountain  and  the  chapel.  The  shaft 
is  of  white  Carrara  marble,  resting  on  a  base  of 
gray  granite  six  feet  square,  and  surmounted  by 
a   bust   of   Mr.   Payne   one-half  larger  than    life 


m^ 


MCMORV   OF 

JOHN  HOWARD  PAYHE| 

Author 

of 

"HOME,  SWtET  home; 

Born  Jun»  9,1791, 

Died  AprU  9. 1852. 


ERECTED  AD.  1883. 


MONUMENT     ERECTED     BY     MR,     WILLIAM     W.     CORCORAN, 
OAK     HILL     CEMETERY,     WASHINGTON,     D,     C. 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL   RITES.  115 

size.  The  face  of  the  bust  is  turned  towards  the 
east.  It  represents  with  great  fideHty  the  poet 
as  he  appeared  in  mature  Hfe. 

The  inscriptions  and  designs  on  the  shaft  are 
simple.  On  the  front  is  the  following  inscrip- 
tion :  — 

John   Howard   Payne, 

Author  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home." 
Born  June  9,  1792. 
Died  April  10,  1852. 

On  the  back  is  the  following  inscription, 
which  was  on  the  tombstone  that  marked  his 
grave  in  Tunis. 

"Sure,  when  thy  gentle  spirit  fled 
To  realms  above  the  azure  dome. 
With  arms  outstretched,  God's  angels  said, 

*  Welcome  to  heaven's  Home,  Sweet  Home  ! ' " 

This  was  written  by  Mr.  Robert  S.  Chilton 
(the  author  of  the  poem  which  was  read  on  the 
present  occasion)  when  he  heard  of  Payne's 
death.     On   the    sides   are    medallions    in  relief: 


Il6  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

one  bears  a  lyre,  enclosed  in  a  wreath  of  laurel ; 
the  other  an  open  scroll,  crossed  by  a  pen, 
surrounded  by  a  wreath  of  palms.  By  the  side 
of  the  monument  rests  the  marble  slab  which 
formerly  covered  the  grave  of  the  poet  in 
Tunis. 

The  following  gentlemen  acted  as  ushers  at 
the  cemetery :  — 

Lieut.  Charles  W.  Rae,  Engineer  Corps,  U.  S.  Navy. 
Ensign  C.  G.  Talcott,  Engineer  Corps,  U.  S.  Navy. 
Lieut.  R.  F.  Nicholson,  U.  S.  Navy. 
Mr.  Washington  F.  Peddrick. 
Mr.  Walter  T.  Wheatley.  Mr.  P.  Lee  Phillips. 

Mr.  John  C.  Poor.  Mr.  Louis  E.  Beall. 

Mr,  Daniel  Leech.  Mr.  Jay  Cooke. 

Mr.  Andrew  H.  Allen.  Mr.  John  J.  Chew. 

From  the  moment  that  the  gate  to  the  cem- 
etery was  opened,  until  long  after  the  hour 
appointed  for  the  ceremonies,  throngs  of  distin- 
guished people  poured  into  the  grounds.  When 
the   platforms   were   filled,    the   scene    presented 


John    Howard    Payne. 


From  the  original  painting  by  J.   W.  Jarvis,   now  in  the  possession  of 
the  Corcoran  Art  Gallery,   Washington,   D.  C. 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  1 17 

was  as  rare  as  it  was  Impressive.  The  gray 
stone  chapel  presented  a  sombre  background 
to  the  picture  made  by  the  expectant  crowd, 
waiting  for  the  first  sounds  of  the  coming 
procession.  It  also  gave  a  solemn,  religious 
tone  to  the  occasion,  and  was  a  vivid  contrast 
to  the  bright  and  gay  foreground  of  the  picture. 
The  fronts  of  the  stands  for  the  invited  guests 
and  the  musicians  were  draped  In  the  American 
colors.  Dark  blue  bunting  covered  the  front  of 
the  speakers  stand,  over  which  the  British  and 
American  flags  were  festooned.  In  the  centre 
hung  the  portrait  of  Payne  painted  by  Jarvis 
when  the  original  was  but  nineteen  years  of  age. 
It  was  a  present  to  Mr.  Corcoran  from  the  Hon. 
Gilmore  Meredith  of  Baltimore.  The  floral  frame 
surrounding  this  picture  was  a  work  of  great 
beauty.  The  Inner  border  was  formed  by  car- 
nations, then  a  row  of  pansies,  then  a  row  of 
beautiful  Marechal  Neil  roses,  forming  the  apex 
of  the  frame.     The  outer  border  was   made   of 


Il8  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

brilliant  Jacqueminot  roses.  At  each  extremity 
of  the  flags,  at  the  upper  corners  of  the  plat- 
form, was  a  shield  containing  a  crescent  and  star, 
suggesting  Tunis,  with  which  Mr.  Payne's  name 
is  forever  connected.  On  the  left  or  west  side, 
were  seated  the  singers,  about  one  hundred 
members  of  the  Philharmonic  Society,  and  the 
Marine  Band  in  their  showy  uniforms  of  red 
with  white  helmets.  Upon  the  front  of  this 
platform,  ample  accommodations  were  provided 
for  the  representatives  of  the  press.  On  the 
east  side,  a  large  platform  for  the  general  pub- 
lic afforded  seats  for  two  thousand  people.  A 
large  space  surrounding  the  platforms  was  roped 
in,  and  probably  two  or  three  thousand  people, 
who  were  unable  to  obtain  seats,  gained  posi- 
tions inside  the  enclosure. 

Among  those  on  the  platforms  were  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States ;  the  Honorable  Henry 
M.  Teller,  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  the  Hon- 
orable Robert  T.  Lincoln,  Secretary  of  War ;  the 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL   RITES.  119 

Honorable  Frederick  T.  Frellnghuysen,  Secretary 
of  State  ;  the  Honorable  Charles  J.  Folger,  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury ;  General  William  T.  Sher- 
man, U.S.  Army;  Major- General  Winfield  S. 
Hancock,  U.S.  Army;  the  Rev.  Lea  Luquer  and 
wife ;  Mr.  William  W.  Corcoran  and  his  three 
grandchildren  (William  Corcoran  Eustis,  George 
Peabody  Eustis,  and  Louise  Morris  Eustis)  ;  the 
Honorable  James  G.  Blaine  and  wife ;  the  Hon- 
orable George  B.  Loring ;  the  Honorable  Samuel 
Shellabarger ;  Dr.  W.  W.  Godding;  J.  O.  Wilson, 
Esq.  ;  Brigadier -General  W.  B.  Hazen,  U.  S. 
Army ;  Dr.  James  F.  Hartigan ;  the  Honorable 
R.  T.  Merrick;  Dr.  Grafton  Tyler;  Dr.  Smith 
Townshend ;  Dr.  Robert  Reyburn  and  Miss  Kate 
Reyburn  ;  the  Rev.  Albert  R.  Stuart ;  A.  M.  Bliss, 
Esq. ;  and  the  Honorable  Josiah  Dent. 

The  setting  of  this  scene  in  the  cemetery 
combined  some  of  the  finest  effects  of  natural 
beauty.  A  cluster  of  tall  oaks  dotted  the  lawn ; 
and   their   long,  luxuriant   arms,  tossed   high   in 


I20  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

the  air,  formed  a  lace- work  of  living  green, 
through  which  the  rays  of  the  declining  sun 
sent  golden  shafts  of  light.  In  front  lay  the 
cool  velvety  stretches  of  lawn  running  up  to 
the  high  fence,  covered  with  graceful  festoons 
of  growing  vines.  In  the  rear  the  ground 
sloped  steeply  down  to  the  valley  of  Rock 
Creek;  and  amid  the  trees  and  luxuriant  shrub- 
bery could  be  seen  the  gleaming  white  shafts 
and  stones  marking  the  resting-places  of  the 
silent  sleepers  in  this  city  of  the  dead. 

When  the  procession  reached  the  cemetery, 
the  coffin,  a  metallic  casket  covered  with  white 
silk,  and  having  elaborate  silver  handles,  was 
carried  by  the  pall-bearers  inside  the  grounds, 
and  laid  upon  a  bier  at  the  side  of  the  monu- 
ment. It  rested  upon  a  bed  of  evergreens  and 
flowers.  At  the  head  rested  a  wreath  sur- 
mounted by  a  crown ;  at  the  foot  lay  an  anchor ; 
while  in  the  centre  was  a  simple  wreath  of  white 
flowers,  inscribed  ''  From  a  Friend." 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  121 

THE    ORDER    OF    EXERCISES. 

The  order  of  exercises  was  as  follows :  — 

Music  —  Mosaic,  "Lohengrin,"  R.  Wagner;  Marine 
Band,  J.  P.  Sousa,  conductor. 

The  Rev.  William  A.  Leonard,  D.D.,  rector 
of  St.  John's  Church,  Washington,  D.  C,  then 
read  portions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  at  the 
direction  of  the  Bishop,  being  Gen.  xxiii.  3-1 1, 
1.  24-26;   I   Cor.  XV.  50-58;  as  follows:  — 

And  Abraham  stood  up  from  before  his  dead,  and 
spake  unto  the  sons  of  Heth,  saying, 

I  am  a  stranger  and  a  sojourner  with  you :  give 
me  a  possession  of  a  burying-place  with  you,  that  I 
may  bury  my  dead  out  of  my  sight. 

And  the  children  of  Heth  answered  Abraham,  say- 
ing unto  him. 

Hear  us,  my  lord  :  thou  art  a  mighty  prince  among 
us  :  in  the  choice  of  our  sepulchres  bury  thy  dead ; 
none  of  us  shall  withhold  from  thee  his  sepulchre, 
but  that  thou  mayest  bury  thy  dead. 


122  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

And  Abraham  stood  up,  and  bowed  himself  to  the 
people  of  the  land,  even  to  the  children  of  Heth. 

And  he  communed  with  them,  saying,  If  it  be  your 
mind  that  I  should  bury  my  dead  out  of  my  sight  ; 
hear  me,  and  entreat  for  me  to  Ephron,  the  son  of 
Zohar, 

That  he  may  give  me  the  eave  of  Machpelah,  which 
he  hath,  which  is  in  the  end  of  his  field ;  for  as  much 
money  as  it  is  worth  he  shall  give  it  me  for  a  pos- 
session of  a  burying-place  amongst  you. 

And  Ephron  dwelt  among  the  children  of  Heth  : 
and  Ephron  the  Hittite  answered  Abraham  in  the 
audience  of  the  children  of  Heth,  even  of  all  that 
went  in  at  the  gate  of  his  city,  saying, 

Nay,  my  lord,  hear  me :  the  field  give  I  thee,  and 
the  cave  that  is  therein,  I  give  it  thee ;  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  sons  of  my  people  give  I  it  thee :  bury 
thy  dead. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  I  die  :  and  God 
will  surely  visit  you,  and  bring  you  out  of  this  land 
unto  the  land  which  he  sware  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac, 
and  to  Jacob. 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL   RITES.  123 

And  Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
saying,  God  will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry 
up  my  bones  from  hence. 

So  Joseph  died,  being  an  hundred  and  ten  years 
old :  and  they  embalmed  him,  and  he  was  put  in  a 
coffin  in  Egypt. 

Now  this  I  say,  brethren,  that  flesh  and  blood 
cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God ;  neither  doth  cor- 
ruption inherit  incorruption. 

Behold,  I  shew  you  a  mystery ;  We  shall  not  all 
sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed, 

In  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the 
last  trump  :  for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead 
shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed. 

For  this  corruptible  must  put  on  incorruption,  and 
this  mortal  imcst  put  on  immortality. 

So  when  this  corruptible  shall  have  put  on  incor- 
ruption, and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  immor- 
tality, then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  that 
is  written.  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory. 

O  death,  where  is  thy  sting.?  O  grave,  where  is 
thy  victory? 


124  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

The  sting  of  death  is  sin ;  and  the  strength  of  sin 
is  the  law. 

But  thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Therefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye  stedfast, 
unmoveable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your  labour  is  not  in  vain 
in  the  Lord. 

These  selections  from  the  Scriptures  v^ere 
read  in  a  very  impressive  manner,  and  listened 
to  with  the  deepest  attention  by  the  large  audi- 
ence. At  the  conclusion  of  the  reading,  the 
Philharmonic  Society  rendered  the  requiem, 
"  Blest  are  the  Departed,"  from  Spohr's  ''  Last 
Judgment ; "  Mr.  R.  C.  Bernays  acting  as  con- 
ductor, and  Mr.  R.  W.  Middleton  as  organist. 

POEM. 
The  following   poem,  written  for   the  occasion 
by    Robert    S.    Chilton,    Esq.,    of    Washington, 
was  then  read  by  its  author:  — 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  125 

JOHN   HOWARD   PAYNE. 
The  exile  hath  returned,  and  now  at  last 

In  kindred  earth  his  ashes  shall  repose  :  — 
Fit  recompense  for  all  his  weary  past, 

That  here  the  scene  should  end,  the  drama  close. 

Here,  where  his  own  loved  skies  o'erarch  the  spot. 
And  where  familiar  trees  their  branches  wave ; 

Where  the  dear  home-born  flowers  he  ne'er  forgot 
Shall  bloom,  and  shed  their  dews  upon  his  grave. 

Will  not  the  wood-thrush,  pausing  in  her  flight, 
Carol  more  sweetly  o'er  this  place  of  rest? 

Here  linger  longest  in  the  fading  light, 
Before  she  seeks  her  soHtary  nest? 

Not  his  the  lofty  lyre,  but  one  whose  strings 

Were  gently  touched  to  soothe  our  human  kind, — 

Like  the  mysterious  harp  that  softly  sings. 
Swept  by  the  unseen  fingers  of  the  wind. 

The  homesick  wanderer  in  a  distant  land. 

Listening  his  song,  hath  known  a  double  bhss, — 

Felt  the  warm  pressure  of  a  father's  hand. 
And,  seal  of  seals  !  a  mother's  sacred  kiss. 


126  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

In  humble  cottage,  as  in  hall  of  state, 

His  truant  fancy  never  ceased  to  roam 
O'er  backward  years ;  and  —  irony  of  fate  !  — 

Of  home  he  sang  who  never  found  a  home  !  — 

Not  even  in  death,  poor  wanderer,  till  now; 

For  long  his  ashes  slept  in  alien  soil. 
Will  they  not  thrill  to-day,  as  round  his  brow 

A  fitting  wreath  is  twined  with  loving  toil? 

Honor  and  praise  be  his  whose  generous  hand 
Brought  the  sad  exile  back,  no  more  to  roam, — 

Back  to  the  bosom  of  his  own  loved  land. 

Back  to  his  kindred,  friends,  his  own  Sweet  Home  ! 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  poem,  the  veil  that 
had  hitherto  covered  the  monument  was  with- 
drawn. As  the  graceful  lines  of  the  beautiful 
shaft  were  slowly  disclosed,  a  burst  of  admira- 
tion came  from  the  spectators.  Resting  on  the 
monument  in  front  was  a  wreath  of  laurel,  moss, 
and  palmetto,  sent  by  Mrs.  M.  A.'  Snowden  of 
Charleston,  S.C. 

The  applause  which  greeted  the  unveiling  of 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  127 

the  monument  was  followed  by  a  moment  of 
silence,  during  which  the  audience  gazed  intently 
on  the  marble  shaft,  and  the  features  of  the  poet 
surmounting  it.  Then  ''  Home,  Sweet  Home," 
was  sung  by  the  Philharmonic  Society,  It  was 
a  grand  and  appropriate  tribute  to  the  departed 
poet,  when  the  vast  audience  arose  and  joined 
in  the  fourth  stanza  of  the  song.  As  the  notes 
slowly  died  away,  by  a  most  beautiful  coincidence 
the  sun,  which  had  been  vainly  struggling  to 
show  itself  between  the  clouds,  at  last  suc- 
ceeded, and  cast  its  beams  upon  the  coffin,  and 
the  monument  just  unveiled. 

ORATION. 
Mr.  Leigh  Robinson,  a  member  of  the  Wash- 
ington   bar,    then    delivered    the    following    ora- 
tion :  — 

Few  stories  are  more  appealing  than  the  current 
one,  which  I  have  seen  ascribed  to  Howard  Payne's 
own   lips,  —  that    when    his    ventures,    theatrical    and 


128  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

literary,  had  proved  failures,  in  a  pecuniary  sense  at 
least,  he  was  wandering  one  night  in  the  streets  of 
London,  sick  at  heart,  and  with  the  sense  of  present 
evil  sharpened  by  the  acquaintance  with  better  days, 
which  throbbed  and  darted  through  him,  and  would 
not  be  forgot,  sank  down  finally  on  the  front  steps 
of  a  nobleman's  mansion,  and  between  the  entrance- 
lamps  wrote  the  first  draught  of  "  Home,  Sweet 
Home."  Later  on,  under  the  blue  sky  of  Italy, 
surrounded  by  the  foliage,  the  flowers  and  the  birds, 
the  light  and  fragrance,  which  make  scenery  soft, 
warm,  and  musical,  and  those  who  dwell  therein  and 
look  thereon,  his  ear  was  caught  one  morning  by  a 
flower-girl's  sweet  melody.  Suddenly  that  which  had 
been  fragmentary  combined  and  took  shape.  He 
mixed  the  music  with  his  thought,  adapted  the  air 
he  had  just  heard  to  the  words  he  had  lately  writ- 
ten, dotted  down  the  notes  in  his  memorandum-book, 
and  thenceforward  bore  in  his  hands  the  harp  of 
home.  The  thought  was  born  musical :  its  natural 
utterance  was  song.  Once  more  the  soul  of  a  song 
had  found  its  body,  the  heart  of  man  a  voice. 

Payne's  career  was  the  unhappy  one  of  disappoint- 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  129 

ment ;  a  history  of  baffled  aims ;  a  life  nowise  propor- 
tioned to  boyish  promise  and  precocity,  but  rather 
the  melancholy  non-fulfilment  thereof.  Nor  can  it  be 
said  that  his  way  was  more  beset  with  difficulty  than 
that  of  many  a  man,  who,  in  the  hard  encounter  with 
the  obduracy  of  his  lot,  has  known  how  to  throw  into 
the  doubtful  scale  the  sword  of  a  persistent  will. 
Payne  had  all  that  was  needful  to  start  him  fairly  : 
first  and  foremost,  a  boy's  best  blessing,  parents  en- 
titled to  his  love ;  a  sweet  lap  of  virtuous  manners  ; 
a  home,  we  may  well  believe,  imbued  with  the  "plain 
living  and  high  thinking"  of  that  early  day.  Outside 
of  his  home,  he  was  a  praised  and  petted  boy,  proUg^ 
of  editors  and  authors,  popular  and  precocious,  and 
precociously  fond  of  the  stage.  Partly,  it  may  be,  to 
repress  this  longing,  a  desk  in  a  counting-house  was 
the  portion  first  assigned  him.  But  friends  of  the 
bright  boy,  won  by  his  charms,  resolve  that  he  shall 
have  the  advantage  of  a  college  training.  In  the 
heyday  of  youth,  as  in  the  corruption  of  the  grave, 
philanthropy  has  loved  him.  And  now  we  have  the 
old,  old  story,  of  natural  parts  and  aptitude  for  shin- 
ing,   irksomeness   of   college   rules,   impatience   of   re- 


I30  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

straint  and  admonition,  even  that  of  his  benefactors. 
Then  follow  in  swift  succession  a  mother's  death,  a 
father's  bankruptcy.  The  ill  wind,  which  smote  the 
four  corners  of  his  father's  house,  blew  him  the 
questionable  good  of  a  reluctant  permission  to  pur- 
sue his  bent.  The  alternative  lay  between,  on  one 
side,  the  busy  and  the  beaten  track,  a  life  of  labor, 
probably  obscure,  at  all  events  monotonous ;  and,  on 
the  other,  a  life  of  pleasing  activity  and  variety, 
before  which  spread  itself  the  applause  of  multitudes, 
perchance  the  smile  of  fortune  on  her  favorite.  The 
muse  of  his  fancy  was  the  muse  of  his  adoption. 
That  which  had  been  his  stolen  satisfaction  was  now 
his  serious  life.  He  entered  what  was  for  him  a 
garden  of  enchantment.  The  plaudit  of  friends  from 
the  gallery  to  the  ground  was  there  to  welcome  him. 
I  am  told  that  Mr.  Joseph  Jefferson,  than  whom  no 
one  is  more  competent  to  speak,  says  that  the  best 
thing  which  can  befall  a  man  who  has  the  making  of 
an  actor  in  him  is  to  fail  at  the  outset.  It  seems  to 
me  a  saying  worthy  of  acceptation  on  more  stages 
than  one.  For  a  man  is  thus  brought  face  to  face 
with  his  own  deficiency  when  he  can  best  arnend  it, 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  13 1 

—  the  obstinate  fact  which  fronts  him,  and  will  front 
him,  till  it  subdues  him  or  is  subdued.  In  a  word, 
a  man  is  thus  forced  to  front  reality,  which  surely 
should  be  essential  to  the  calling  which  has  for  its 
province  the  imitation  of  reality.  Many  a  man  has 
been  stung  to  the  victory  to  which  favor  had  never 
lifted  him.  Perhaps  it  had  been  well  for  Payne  if, 
at  this  time,  adversity  had  been  stirred  more  freely 
in  his  cup,  and  from  its  dregs,  the  primer  of  great- 
ness in  every  school,  he  had  drawn  its  desperate 
force.  It  happened  otherwise.  Life  betrayed  him 
with  its  kiss. 

Let  us  not  underrate,  then,  as  possibly  Payne  did, 
the  career  which  he  now  set  before  himself,  and  for 
which  he  seems  to  have  had  a  fair  endowment.  As 
it  was  said  of  Leibnitz,  that  he  drove  all  the  sciences 
abreast,  so  it  may  be  said  of  the  stage,  that  all  the 
arts  are  tributary  to  it.  To  create  before  the  foot- 
lights a  little  world,  which  shall  be  the  successful 
mimicry  of  the  great  and  universal  theatre ;  to  pic- 
ture there  in  miniature  the  perplexities  and  passions 
of  man's  life,  —  his  laughter  and  his  tears ;  by  the 
illusions  of  sense  and  sound,  the  poet's,  the  painter's, 


132  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

the  musician's  art,  by  the  expressiveness  of  counte- 
nance and  gesture,  to  throw  upon  the  stage  a  form 
which  shall  be  the  glass  of  life,  a  voice  which  shall 
be  its  echo ;  by  the  very  body  to  figure  thought,  —  is 
a  field  of  labor  wide  enough  for  the  widest,  and  the 
widest  has  labored  in  it.  The  greatest  word  ever 
spoken  in  English  literature  floated,  swan-like,  from 
the  boards  of  the  Globe  Theatre.  To  be  the  poet 
of  representation  is  not  a  small  art,  but  a  great  one. 
It  is  the  art  by  which  the  word  of  genius  is  made 
flesh. 

With  every  fascination  and  prepossession  of  youth 
upon  his  side,  the  charm  of  the  social  circle,  the 
prodigy  of  the  intellectual,  with  an  engaging  manner 
and  person,  a  bell-like  voice,  a  good  ear,  and,  above 
all,  the  quick  sense  of  beauty,  Payne  sallied  forth  to 
sway  the  sceptre  of  the  stage.  Fondled  by  the  fond 
many  from  Boston  to  Charleston  in  his  native  land, 
his  native  land  grew  insufficient  for  him.  Ambition 
whispered  that  on  the  ampler  theatre  of  the  English 
stage  he  might  snatch  a  nobler  laurel.  He  arrived 
in  time  to  witness  there  the  advent  of  the  elder 
Booth,  who,  as  it  seems  to  me,  with  a  wiser  discrim- 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  133 

ination,  saw  in  America,  rather  than  in  Europe,  the 
field  for  rising  genius.  He  was  present  the  first 
night  of  the  return  of  Mrs.  Siddons  to  the  stage,  and 
beheld  the  majesty  of  those  powers,  which,  even  in  the 
dry  tree,  were  challenged  solely  by  the  glorious  blos- 
som of  their  earlier  stem.  The  friend  of  Washington 
Irving  obtained  swift  access  to  the  first  literary  and 
dramatic  circles.  With  no  undue  diffidence  he  flung 
himself  against  Kean  and  Kemble,  in  the  arena  of 
those  triumphs  which  had  made  each  "a  stately  hiero- 
glyphic of  humanity."  He  achieved  laudation,  the 
promise  of  distinction ;  not  distinction  itself,  and  not 
success.  Other  things  in  this  unyielding  world  go 
to  the  make-up  of  success,  besides  the  most  sweet 
voices  and  the  most  applauding  palms.  Payne  never 
did  command,  but  had  always  to  conciliate,  his  theatre. 
All  credit  should  be  given  him,  however,  for  the 
celerity  and  cheery  heart  with  which  he  now  bent 
himself  to  that  series  of  translations,  adaptations, 
compositions,  dramatic,  operatic,  tragedy,  comedy  and 
farce,  numbering  some  forty-nine  in  all,  which  con- 
sumed the  best  years  of  his  life. 

It   is   always   a   pathetic   spectacle,  the   conflict   of 


134  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

taste,  talent,  and  sensibility,  the  striving  and  pursuing 
of  the  beating  heart  and  proud  honor  of  ingenuous 
youth,  with  the  iron  world  of  business ;  the  encounter 
of  the  porcelain  with  the  earthen  vase,  in  that  flood  of 
destinies  which  we  call  human  life.  It  is  so  hard  for 
the  endowed  and  admired  one  to  realize  that  over  and 
against  him  is  the  jealous  eye  which  is  ever  turned 
on  insecure  and  unestablished  strength ;  that  his 
house,  like  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  must  be  builded 
with  the  trowel  in  one  hand  and  the  sword  in  the 
other ;  that  his  various  gifts  and  graces  are  scanned 
as  coldly  as  ever  slave  upon  the  block  by  the  spirit 
of  trade,  which  stands  there  not  for  sentiment  but 
bargain.  Payne's  versatile  struggle  through  all  these 
years  of  disappointment,  deception,  and  undeception, 
is  to  me  the  flutter  of  the  bird  against  his  bars, 
trying  all  in  turn  and  all  in  vain. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  middle  life  stole  upon 
him,  and  found  him  not  unfriended,  indeed,  but  unde- 
manded  and  unavailing.  In  all  that  made  life  beauti- 
ful and  noble  to  him,  failure  was  his  familiar  voice. 
He  was  one  who  had  crossed  swords  with  the  world, 
and  had  not  overcome.     The  fight  of  life  which  had 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL   RITES.  135 

been  woven  for  him,  which  in  so  great  a  measure  he 
had  woven  for  himself,  had  left  him  among  the  slain. 
In  that  flood  of  destiny  in  which  he  plunged  so 
ambitiously,  the  hammer  of  destiny  had  shivered 
his  ambition.  His  life  was  in  ashes  before  he  was 
forty.  The  enchanted  garden  he  had  hied  him  to,  so 
swiftly  and  so  gladly,  shut  its  gates  in  his  face ;  and 
when  he  turned  to  the  future,  it  was  to  that  future 
of  the  defeated,  whose  very  veil  is  of  stone.  And 
now,  when  his  heart  was  even  more  bankrupt  than 
his  purse,  and  when  his  purse  was  empty,  when  his 
hunger  was  without  a  crust,  his  head  without  a  roof, 
his  only  pillow  the  pavement,  in  the  Tartarus  of 
earthly  disappointment  and  defeat,  he  lifted  up  his 
eyes  and  beheld  afar  off  the  home  bosom.  That 
sorcery  of  appearance,  in  the  vain  pursuit  of  which 
the  force  of  his  youth  had  been  wasted,  stood  re- 
vealed now,  as  the  shell  without  the  meat ;  and  there 
in  vision  before  him  rose  his  far-off  home,  to  which 
his  heart  was  as  the  snail  torn  from  its  shell.  If 
sweet  is  health  to  the  sick,  sight  to  the  blind,  hb- 
erty  to  the  captive,  rest  to  the  heavy-laden,  what 
should  be  the  hunger  and  thirst  after  home   by  the 


136  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

homeless  ?  In  the  irreverence  of  the  time,  whatever 
other  faith  hath  famished,  the  temple  of  the  hearth 
is  sacred.  As  St.  Columba  says  in  his  farewell  to 
Arran,  so  we  may  say  of  home,  ''Paradise  is  with 
thee  ;  the  garden  of  God  within  sound  of  thy  bells." 
In  the  sinking  fate  of  the  man,  this,  too,  came  to 
him,  like  the  memory  of  spring  in  winter,  of  the 
ripple  of  waters  in  the  desert  of  his  life,  the  bells  of 
a  paradise  lost.  This  is  the  forlorn  pathos  of  that 
which  makes  him  famous.  It  is  like  bright  light  on 
deep  shadow.  The  sweet  rose  of  life  had  faded  from 
him :  only  its  thorn  was  pressed  against  his  breast. 
A  wandering  bird  cast  out  of  the  nest  startles  the 
midnight  with  the  song  of  his  earliest  morning,  —  a 
flood  of  sweetness,  all  the  more  exquisite  that  it  is 
poured  from  the  throat  of  sadness,  beauty  from  ashes, 
the  bird-song  of  home  from  the  mouth  of  the  home- 
less. It  is  the  sorrow  in  the  throat  which  makes  the 
song  so  sweet.  This  song,  born  of  suffering  and 
sadness,  like  all  immortal  things,  made  perfect  by 
suffering,  is  to-day  his  song  of  triumph. 

In   1832,  after  an  absence  of  twenty  years,  Payne 
came  back  to  his  native  land.     Why  he  should  have 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  137 

remained  away  so  long,  when  so  warm  a  welcome 
awaited  him,  is  a  mystery.  Complimentary  benefits 
were  given  him  in  Boston,  New  Orleans,  and  New 
York,  public  dinners  and  receptions,  for  which  he  re- 
turned his  acknowledgments  in  the  graceful  terms 
which  never  failed  him.  But  the  projects  which 
thenceforth  engaged  his  attention  were  the  desperate 
after-game  of  life,  —  international  reviews,  sacred  his- 
tory, the  Cherokees,  and  what  not,  —  projects  of  a 
fertile  rather  than  a  practical  brain,  —  the  double- 
flowering  tree,  fruitful  of  promise,  void  of  fruit. 

Finally  came  the  consulship  to  Tunis  in  1842,  re- 
called in  1845,  renewed  in  185 1.  There  amid  the 
dusky  aspects  and  the  fallen  columns  of  that  ancient 
land,  hard  by  the  spot  where  Caius  Marius  was  seen 
sitting  on  the  ruins  of  Carthage,  Payne  laid  him 
down,  there,  in  the  shadow  of  the  broken  and  de- 
jected column  of  his  own  life,  —  laid  down  to  die. 
In  Tunis,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1852,  in  the  si^ty- 
second  year  of  his  life,  he  passed  away.  Two  Sisters 
of  Charity  and  his  Moorish  domestics  were  with  him 
when  he  died.  A  priest  of  the  Greek  Church  said 
prayers   over  his  grave.     The  breath  was  hardly  out 


138  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

of  his  body,  when  his  furniture,  library,  works  of  art, 
and  sword  of  office,  were  seized,  and  sold  at  auction 
for  his  debts.  His  personal  apparel  even  disappeared 
in  the  general  wreck.  Sad  exit  of  one  whose  en- 
trance had  been  so  blithe !  And  yet,  as  his  life  sank 
behind  a  cloud,  his  face  was  turned  toward  the  morn- 
ing. As  the  breath  of  life  left  his  body,  his  life  in 
the  breath  of  others  began.  As  his  earthly  abode 
became  the  spoil  of  his  creditors,  every  home  in 
Christendom  became  his  spoil.  The  light  of  his  life 
went  down  like  that  Norway  sun  which  sets  into 
sunrise.  The  world  is  the  debtor  to-day  of  him 
whose  whole  substance  the  world  sold  in  execution. 
Every  home  is  the  sweeter  for  him,  as  it  is  also 
admonished  by  him.  He  might  be  termed  the  apostle 
of  home.  In  some  sense,  we  might  say,  without 
irreverence  I  trust,  ''the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed." 
Therefore  it  is  that  the  grave  cannot  confine  him 
in  the  land  of  the  stranger,  nor  the  ocean  divide  him 
from  his  own.  The  ship  of  a  mighty  people  has 
spread  its  sail,  and  brought  him  up  from  the  under- 
world and  over  the  deep  water,  to  rest  at  last  under 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  139 

the  oaks  and  beneath  the  violet  of  his  country.  The 
magistrates  and  the  masses  of  his  country  are  here 
to-day  equally  his  mourners,  —  the  music  and  the 
verse,  the  chivalry  and  beauty  of  his  own  land,  and 
the  ambassadors  of  all  others.  The  beloved  head  of 
a  holy  church  is  bowed  and  bared  for  him.  Here  in 
the  consecrated  stillness  of  the  wood,  and  by  the 
murmur  of  the  stream,  which  in  life  he  haunted  with 
his  love,  his  restless  ghost  will  fold  its  wing.  A 
charm  from  the  sky  will  seem  to  hallow  him  here. 
As  I  see  awaiting  him  the  sepulchre  prepared  by  one, 
the  venerable  snow  of  whose  winter  has  dropped  no 
flake  upon  his  open  hand,  it  is  to  me  as  though  the 
figure  of  that  charity  which  never  faileth  were  bowed 
in  benediction  over  this  grave.  It  is  as  though  we 
were  witnessing  the  ineffable  voyage  of  Payne's  soul 
from  the  earth,  which  was  his  tavern,  to  the  heaven 
which  is  his  home ;  as  though  this,  the  translation  of 
his  mortal  part,  from  the  land  of  old  bondage  to  the 
land  of  new  promise,  from  the  dark  continent  to  the 
bright  one,  were  the  likeness  of  his  far  greater  res- 
urrection, not  from  hemisphere  to  hemisphere,  but 
from  death  to  immortality. 


140  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE. 

THE   INTERMENT   CEREMONIES. 

When  Mr.  Robinson  had  resumed  his  seat,  the 
Right  Reverend  Bishop  Pinkney,  accompanied 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leonard,  descended  the  steps 
to  the  ground  to  hold  the  ceremonies  attending 
the  interment.  Bishop  Pinkney  took  his  stand 
close  to  the  bier,  and  in  a  voice  of  deep  feeling 
said :  — 

Forasmuch  as  it  hath  pleased  Almighty  God  to 
put  it  into  the  heart  of  His  servant,  in  tender  love 
for  the  memory  of  the  honored  dead,  to  remove  the 
remains  of  John  Howard  Payne  from  a  strange  land, 
and  lay  them  to  rest  in  his  own  country  and  among 
his  own  kindred  and  friends,  so  that  home,  which  he 
hath  made  so  sweet  by  his  undying  song,  may  be 
consecrated  afresh  by  the  solemnities  of  this  hour : 

Let  us  offer  up  our  prayer  to  the  Giver  of  every 
good  and  perfect  gift,  and  beseech  him  to  grant  that 
this  pious  work  of  ours  may  be  made  acceptable  to 
him.  Let  us  pray  that  through  divine  grace  we  may 
make  a  religious  improvement  of  this  event,  so  that 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES. 


14] 


after  this  transitory  life  shall  be  ended,  we  may  be 
gathered  unto  our  fathers,  and  rest  with  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect,  and  finally  attain  to  the  resur- 
rection of  life,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

O  God,  who  hast  taught  us  in  thy  holy  word,  to 
render  honor  to  whom  honor  is  due,  we  implore  thy 
blessing  on  the  celebration  of  this  hour.  As  it  hath 
pleased  thee  to  take  out  of  the  world  the  soul  of  our 
deceased  brother,  we  therefore  recommit  his  body  to 
the  ground,  earth  to  earth,  ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to 
dust ;  looking  for  the  general  resurrection  of  the  last 
day,  and  the  life  of  the  world  to  come,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  at  whose  second  coming  in  glori- 
ous majesty  to  judge  the  world,  the  earth  and  the  sea 
shall  give  up  their  dead,  and  the  corruptible  bodies 
of  those  who  sleep  in  thee  shall  be  changed  and 
made  like  unto  thy  glorious  body,  according  to  thy 
mighty  working,  whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all 
things  unto  himself. 

O  Lord  God,  grant  that  this  tribute  of  a  feeling 
heart  may  redound  to  thy  glory  and  the  good  of 
mankind,  and  that  every  home  in  this  land  may  be 
made  the  abode  of  contentment  and  peace ;   so  that, 


142  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

after  we  depart  this  life,  we  may  rest  in  thee,  having 
the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience,  in  the  communion 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  in  the  confidence  of  a  certain 
faith,  in  the  comfort  of  a  reasonable  religious  and 
lively  hope,  in  favor  with  thee  our  God,  and  in  per- 
fect charity  with  the  world :  all  of  which  we  ask 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

During  Bishop  Plnkney  s  prayer,  Mr.  Corco- 
ran, attended  by  Dr.  Welling,  stood  near  by  with 
uncovered  head.  Upon  the  conclusion  of  the 
prayer,  Bishop  Pinkney  and  Dr.  Leonard  retired ; 
and  the  coffin  was  raised,  and  taken  to  the  open- 
ing by  the  monument.  The  pall-bearers  took 
their  positions,  four  on  each  side  of  the  grave ; 
and  after  a  small  bouquet  of  Marechal  Neil 
roses  had  been  laid  on  the  coffin-lid,  it  was 
lowered  to  its  final  rest.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
opening  were  rollers  upon  which  the  coffin  was 
conveyed  into  the  niche  under  the  monument 
prepared  for  it.  The  opening  was  covered  again 
with  the  evergreens,  the  floral  designs  that  had 


THE  LAST  FUNERAL  RITES.  143 

rested    on    the    coffin  were   placed   over   it,    and 
John  Howard  Payne's  body  was  interred. 

The  ''  Hallelujah  Chorus"  from  the  ''  Messiah" 
was  then  excellently  rendered  by  the  Philhar- 
monic Society,  accompanied  by  the  full  Marine 
Band ;  Professor  Widdows,  by  invitation  of  Mr. 
Bernays,  acting  as  conductor.  At  the  conclusion 
of  the  music.  Bishop  Pinkney  offered  the  follow- 
ing benediction :  — 

The  God  of  peace,  who  brought  again  from  the 
dead  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  great  Shepherd  of 
the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  cove- 
nant, make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  His 
will,  working  in  you  that  which  is  well  pleasing  in 
His  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  glory 
for  ever  and  ever.     Amen.^ 

The  Marine  Band  then  played  ''  Safe  in  the 
arms  of  Jesus "  as  a  finale,  and  the  audience 
dispersed. 

'^  Precisely  one  month  from  this  date,  the  remains  of  this  beloved  and 
venerated  bishop  were  borne  to  their  last  resting-place  in  Oak-hill  Cemetery. 


144  JOHN  HOWARD   PAYNE, 

The  services,  which  began  at  five  p.m.,  were 
concluded  at  seven.  The  rays  of  the  setting 
sun  illuminated  the  white  monuments  in  the 
grounds ;  the  air  was  redolent  with  the  perfume 
of  the  roses,  which  were  full  of  bloom ;  a  gentle 
breeze  stirred  the  leaves  of  the  old  oak-trees 
beneath  whose  shade  Payne  had  rested  when 
the  spot  was  known  as  Parrott's  Woods.  The 
verdure  of  the  lawn,  and  the  sparkling  waters  of 
the  fountain  near  by,  gave  a  sense  of  beauty 
which  the  poet's  eye  would  have  recognized  and 
rejoiced  in ;  and  the  gentle  murmur  of  the 
waters  of  Rock  Creek,  which  lie  at  the  foot  of 
the  high  terrace  of  the  cemetery,  filled  the 
measure  of  loveliness  of  a  perfect  evening  and 
scene  in  June.  A  slight  shower  at  one  time 
threatened  to  break  up  the  ceremonies ;  but  it 
was  of  short  duration,  and  the  sky  cleared,  and 
the  sun  caused  the  drops  of  water  on  the  flowers 
to  sparkle  as  gems  which  were  offered  to  en- 
hance the  poetry  of  the  scene. 


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